The Whited Sepulcher
by KKAce24
Summary: Melanie Walker, blind and alone, gets sucked into something bigger than she will realize. Loki has come for revenge, but in a different form. No army, just a single man. Their motivating forces collide. The fire rises.
1. Prologue

**_I'm starting a new story cause I am obsessed with the Avengers. It takes place after the Avengers movie and I decided to add my own new character to the mix. I hope you enjoy it. I have many good surprises planned! (:_**

* * *

The cool breeze from the east whistled through the tall trees hugging the bluff on the Mississippi River. The sun shone over head, baking the streets winding over the grassy hill below it.  
Three black suburbans drive slowly in the outskirts of Burlington, Iowa, slipping through the neighborhood streets like hunting panthers. They drive down a small street lined with cars, the houses on either side large and old, overlooking the large river below. It's peacefully quiet. The birds are chirping in the tall trees and stray dogs run across the street.  
The black suburbans slowly come to a stop in front of the very last house on the street. It's the largest and oldest of all the houses in the neighborhood. It's an off-white color, with a wide wrap around porch. Flowers line the railing and rocking chairs sway slightly in the wind. There is no car parked in the driveway.  
As the large vehicles stop in front of the house, the passenger door of the first suburban opens widely, and a man steps out, his face serious and seemingly unfriendly. He's very tall and large, with a black eye patch over one eye. His skin, a dark brown, matches the black clothes and heavy black trench coat.

"Colonel, sir, how many units?" a short women with light brown hair asks professionally, her stance tall and uniformal beside him.

He does not turn his gaze to her. "I'm doing this one alone. Prepare units one and two just in case, but I don't think there will be a problem with this one."  
The colonel walks slowly toward the large house, taking large steps up the stairs that lead to the house. He stops at the top and looks in both directions as if to decide where he wants to go. He takes one step towards the door and raises his hand to knock but suddenly stops. A small smile curves onto his lips. He lowers his hand and begins walking down the porch, following it as it curves to the right with the house. The vehicles behind him are now out of sight.

"Colonel Fury, I told you last time that you could park in my driveway," a feminine voice calls out from a rocking chair in front of him.

"Melanie Walker. It's good to hear your voice," he remarks back, a smile on his face.

As he gets closer, a tall women with long brown hair stands up from the rocking chair, a pair of dark glasses covering her eyes.

He comes right up to her and touches her arm. She smiles, holding out her hand to be shaken. He shakes it willingly.

"Would you like some lemonade? I fixed some up inside. I promise it doesn't taste completely awful," she jokes as he wraps his arm in hers and leads her to the door. She shakes him off once they're inside.

"I know my way around the inside of my house better than I do the porch," she comments quietly as she sticks her arm out to the side to feel for the wall.

Her fingers lightly brush it as she walks slowly down the hallway and to the kitchen.

"I suppose your visit isn't a social one," she comments as she feels for the pitcher of lemonade.

"Afraid not," he replies as she begins to pour him a drink in a small glass placed in her hands.

"Tell me when to stop."

"That's good there," he says, taking the glass from her as she holds it out towards his voice.

He takes a long drink before setting the glass down into the sink, watching as the woman methodically feels around the kitchen as she puts things away.

"We have a situation and we need you to come in," he says authoritatively.

She stops moving for a second but then quickly begins moving again.

"What kind of situation?"

"A 'saving the world' kind of situation. There's a man who intends to destroy the world and enslave mankind. We fought him once, and now he's back, bigger and stronger."

She nods her head and he notices how her hands are shaking. He touches his radio in case he might actually need to call for back-up.

"You say this is the same man that you fought before?"

"Afraid so."

"Then why is he still alive?"

He clears his throat. "His brother fought on our side... wanted to take him back to the world he came from for retribution. It's not clear at this time how he managed to get back to Earth, but all we know is that he's brought some friends and it's not looking to pretty on our side."

She nods, nervously twisting her wrists in her hands. The worry lines in her forehead fold together, showing her usually concealed emotions. Nicholas Fury was the only person who had ever seen her true emotions.

"I assume you tried to keep me out of the fighting equation until I was completely necessary," she says slowly, pushing her sunglasses back onto her face from where they slid down.

"You assumed correctly. I know how you feel about fighting, but I'm afraid I've become quite desperate."

"I understand."

"We have a group of people like you, with special abilities and powers that make them different from everyone else. You wouldn't be alone."

"I haven't been around people in a long time. As you probably realized I almost never leave my own house. I don't know how I would react."

A small chuckle escapes his lips. "I'm sure you'll be fine. You'll warm up to them sooner than you think. They're very friendly, and very understanding."

She sighs and places her fingers over her lips in deep thought.

"Well I suppose leaving the house for a while will do me some good... though I'll miss the peace and quiet I have here."

He nods and smiles. "Glad to have you on board Melanie. We'll take you in as soon as you're ready."

He begins to walk out of the room and she stops him.

"Fury," she says, her voice strong and unwavering. He stops and turns to look at her, her stance strong and confident. "I'm always ready."


	2. Welcome Aboard

The large navel ship chugs slowly across the Atlantic. Soldiers come and go, running and preparing for lift off. A small jet plane lands on the landing mat, where a group of people wait expectantly.

"Fury never mentioned another super," Steve Rogers comments quietly to Tony Stark who stands next to him.

"Fury never mentions anything, if you had forgotten before," Tony quietly comments back, watching the landing plane with his arms crossed.

"I heard she used to be an Olympic marathon runner," Bruce Banner adds in.

"An Olympic runner? Does Fury plan on defeating Loki by out running him?" Tony laughs.

Steve gives him a hard look.

The platform of the plane slowly lowers to the ground. Two people begin to slowly ascend from the ramp. A tall woman with dark sunglasses holds onto an officer beside her while her other hand holds a long white stick that waves in front of her.

"Is she blind?" Steve whispers out loud.

Tony doesn't answer, his eyes fixated on the woman walking towards them.

"Melanie Walker," Natasha Romanoff greets kindly as she walks towards her. "It's good to finally meet you."

"Natasha," she nods, unwinding her arm from the officer and holding it out for her to shake.

"You already knew my name?" she says, more like a statement rather than a question.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes. "It's comes with my curse."

"Then you should know who I am," Tony interrupts, shoving his hands into his pockets as he walks up next to Natasha.

Melanie smiles. "Of course. Anthony Stark, Howard's son. The man behind the Iron Man suit. How could anyone _not _know who you are."

"I prefer Tony. But tell me, how is it that you were able to run while blind? I'm fascinated on how you've achieved such ability."

She laughs. "I wasn't blind when I ran. There was an accident that caused me to loose my vision and after that I wasn't able to run anymore."

"I bet you were very upset about that," Steve says, bumping Tony out of the way.

"Steve Rogers, or should I say Captain America. My brother used to be a huge fan! He had a big poster of you hanging on his wall."

He chuckles. "Well if he still has it then I'd be happy to sign it for him."

Tony interrupts. "Why doesn't he get called by his full name. Steven? It only seems fair-"

"My brother died a few years back, but I'm sure he would have appreciated it," Melanie says, ignoring Tony.

"I'm very sorry to hear that."

Bruce walks forward slowly and smiles sheepishly. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is your special ability?"

"Bruce Banner! Sometime I would love it if you explained to me how gamma radiation works! Since it's a bit hard to find a brail version of your documentation on it, I would much appreciate it. And as for my special ability, it's actually quite complicated to explain."

"Then you can come inside and fill us in on everything." Nick Fury walks over to the bunch of them, the smile appearing on his face when he sees Melanie.

The six of them make their way to the bridge, all looking around the giant naval ship. It was huge, Melanie could tell that much. She could remember all the turns they'd made, right, left, another left, right, left, right, another right. It was almost like a pattern she could strum out on her leg.

She could also tell when people passed by. Their names would appear in her mind. Agent Joseph Carson, Agent Natalie Reeves. Basic things about them would also flash through her mind. Their age, their height, their family size, their feelings at that moment. It was always these things that she saw.

_Names with no faces._

That's what she called it. She knew almost everything about everyone, except what they looked like. She was a broken computer.

Fury touches her arm and leads her to a seat. Once seated she slowly folds her white stick and places it on the glass table in front of her. Steve takes a seat beside her, throwing his head back as if he's tired.

"Welcome to S.H.E.I.L.D. Melanie, and welcome to our ship," Agent Bartwell greets professionally.

She remembers him from her past and she tries to hold back her grimace. Flashes of dark memories she had securely hidden threaten to break free of their chains. Her hands shake and she starts tightly twisting her wrists to make them stop. She doesn't have to see him to know what he looks like.

"I'm glad to be aboard."

She hears him walk out of the room. She's glad when she can't hear his footsteps anymore.

"We'll be taking off in T minus three minutes," an announcer says over the intercom.

"This thing flies," Melanie states, her voice slightly shocked.

Tony snorts. Steve whistles.

"You don't seem too surprised," Natasha says, sitting on the other side of Melanie.

She shrugs. "I tend to control my emotions. And surprises, well, I think I've seen enough in my lifetime to be used to when they happen."

"So what about you're abilities Melanie?" Bruce asks, putting his hands in his pockets. "I apologize, I'm very curious."

She smiles, her face staying in place instead of turning to the sound of his voice.

"Because I can't see people, I'm able to see everything about them instead."

"Everything but their face?"

She nods, twisting her wrists again.

Tony watches her with skeptical eyes.

"So you know everything about someone before they can even introduce themselves?" Bruce concludes.

She nods again. "I know everyone's deepest, darkest secret."

"Well forget privacy here," Steve comments. "I guess picking your friends would be easy."

"Or extremely hard," Natasha disagrees. "By knowing everything about someone, you'd see their flaws, their mistakes. It could taint your relationship."

"Hence the curse," Melanie agrees, a faint smile still on her face.

"So why would Fury need you now?" Clint Barton asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

"If we could capture Loki, she would be able to tell us everything about him. Even maybe what he's planning," Natasha answers, her brow furrows as she thinks.

"Something along those lines, yes," Melanie says quietly, images of a building on fire and a man carrying a young girl away from it flash through her mind.

_Ivan Petrovitch._

The name flashes across her mind.

_Stalingrad, Russia. Natasha Romanoff._

"Agent Romanoff will you please show Melanie to her room? She's going to have to get to know the layout so getting from one side of the room to other won't be so hard," Fury orders as he steps onto the bridge.

"Yes sir," Natasha answers, helping Melanie stand up from her seat.

As they leave, Tony watches quietly, evaluating everything. There's something about her he doesn't trust. It bothers him, and he can see that it also bothers Clint, who still stands with his arms crossed looking at the door where they disappeared. He was going to get to the bottom of this. Fury couldn't hide everything from him. Tony was going to have to go talk to her himself.

And that's exactly what he did.


	3. Mr Tony Stark

Loki sits in an abandoned subway tunnel on the north side of New York City, New York. He lost his long septor in the last battle for Earth and his hands ache to grasp it again. The power, the feel of it in his hands. It had been invigorating. Nothing could stop him.  
But he realized that he had been a fool for being so cocky and arrogant. The team of freaks were supposed to turn on each other, not grow stronger. His plan had back fired, but it wouldn't this time. This time he was sure he could win.

"Loki," Thanos growled in his deep voice. "They have the girl."

Loki chuckles, his sly smile stretching across his face. "Of course they have her. Fury would be a fool if had left her alone."

"They will win, if she is on their side."

"No, they wouldn't win. She would give us difficulties, yes, but only one of her against the mix of us? We would fight for a day of two, but then we would kill her and then the rest would fall right after."

Thanos grunts, leaning back against the stone pillars.

"What would be even better is if we could get her to join our side," Loki comments, running his finger over his lips.

"You have a silver tongue Loki, but I doubt that would totally convince her. You have to make her _want _to be on our side. Only then would she have complete loyalty."

Loki is silent for a moment as he devises up a plan.

Water drips from the ceiling and runs down the murky walls. Subway trains hadn't been running on this rail for a long time, causing the rails to turn rusty and rough. They were safe here. No one could find them. They were hidden in the dark recesses of New York City's subway system. Only the homeless and the drug dealers snuck back to these parts.

"I have a plan that I think might work. How much time do we have?"

Thanos gives him a long look, his red eyes boring into Loki's.

"As much time as it takes to make her completely loyal. But not too long. While the world waits, my patience doesn't."

Loki's sly smile appears on his face again. "Then you shall not be disappointed."

* * *

Melanie stands in front of a mirror, or at least that's what she concluded it was, with a bottle of whiskey sitting on the table next to her and a full glass in her hand. Her sunglasses were somewhere on the floor, leaving her blind, burned eyes bare and open to the reflection she could never see.  
How long had she been here? A few hours and the tremors had already started. Her right hand was barely under control. All the people around here, they had no idea what effect they were having on her stability. They were oblivious to the fact that at any second she could just explode and they'd all be dead.

She took a long drink of her whiskey. It burned it's way down her throat.

Had Nick really been a fool for bringing her on this ship? For trusting her to do the right thing? For trusting her not to... turn?

There was a light tap on the door. Maybe if she wasn't blind she'd try to conceal the alcohol next to her.

"Come in," she calls out, clearing her throat and straightening her shoulders.

Tony Stark opens the door slowly and looks around the room till he sees where she stands. One hand in the pocket of her jeans and the other holding a half a glass of 63' whiskey, she stood upright, staring into a small mirror on the wall.

"I stopped by to talk to you," Tony says, walking slowly over towards the mirror. She turns away so he can't see her eyes.

"My glasses are somewhere on the floor. Can you grab them for me?"

Tony walks over to where they lay on the floor. He picks them up and presses them into her out-stretched hand. Her face is turned away from him and he's suddenly curious why.

"What kind of accident, did you say, made you blind?"

She chuckles and turns toward his voice, her glasses placed firmly over her eyes. "I don't believe I did."

"Oh that's right," he confirms, his quirky smile popping onto his face.

"If you can find another glass, I'd be happy to share a drink with you."

"Well good, cause I was about to ask for one," he says as he travels to the kitchen part of her room and grabs a glass from the cabinets.

"You have your own little apartment up here don't you?" he comments as he pours himself a small drink.

She feels her way forward and finds a soft chair to sit in.

"Yes," she agrees, "it's quite visually handicapped friendly."

Tony chuckles.

"So is this always what you do in stressful situations? Find a lone place to sit and drink?"

She smiles and tilts her head onto her hand. "Is this you assuming I don't know how to handle stressful situations?"

"No. Actually not at all. I never said anything about you handling anything. I was only asking, cause it seems as though you haven't ever been in this situation before. Or have you? Cause for being a know-it-all and everything, you a very mysterious person. You know everything about everyone else, but no one knows anything about you. Yet, everyone seems to trust you like they've known you forever."

She takes another long drink of her whiskey as he talks.

"And your hand. Was I the only one that noticed? You wonder why I assumed you were stressed. Everyone has a nervous tick, something that could help them stay calm and under control. Is that yours? Wrapping your fingers around your wrists and twisting as hard as you can? Effective, but quite noticable if you were trying to hide it. But none of that makes sense, because your ability isn't dangerous enough for worry to be caused. Which means whatever ability you do have, it's either secretly something else, or your minding reading thing is just an extra gift that comes along with the package."

She rubs her chin slowly, concentrating on every word he says.

"Which leads me to think what you call your, 'curse,' is really more than just knowing everything. You're hiding something, and if you haven't already noticed, you can't really keep secrets around here can you?"

She smiles and leans back into her chair. "You've got me all figured out haven't you?"

"I've only figured out the obvious. All I need to know now is what you're hiding. Why would Nick keep you out of the equation until now? And why now? Why are you so special?"

Melanie chuckles, swirling her drink in her glass. "You're very smart Anthony, I'll give you that, but you have to understand, the power I posses is so delicate. It's not something I can exactly... show you. I understand your suspicions, I really do. I would be suspicious too, but for now I must remain a mystery."

"Why?" he cuts in shortly, leaning forward slightly.

"Because it's better that way. It's... how should I put it? Safer?"

He frowns and leans back. "You're making it sound like you're going to turn into a big green rage monster."

She laughs. "I admire Dr. Banner very much, but I'm afraid he's the only one who is able to do that."

"Well, that's a disappointment."

"Don't worry Anthony. If you ever see my other side, I doubt you would be disappointed. So now you wonder why I drink? In my accident the right side of my body was burned very badly, and while they've healed excellently, I don't believe the pain ever really subsided for me. It may be a whole mind thing, but either way, the drinks seem to numb it down."

Tony sits quietly a minute, watching her down the rest of her drink. Though what she said may be true, he still believed that she was drinking for another reason. There was a reason he used to drink. Pain, not physical, but mental.

"I thought I told you to call me Tony," he says before standing up and downing his drink in one gulp.

He sets the glass down and walks casually to the door.

"Your father loved you Tony," she comments, setting her glass down on the table.

Tony freezes at the door, his back still facing her.

"Sometimes people just aren't very good at showing it."

His eyes flicker to the ground for a moment but then he grabs the handle to the door and walks out into the hallway, never saying a word.

* * *

_**The action will start soon (; get ready!**_


	4. Capturing Loki

_An old farmhouse sits in the middle of large fields that spread across the flat plains of Iowa. It's small and white, with an unstable porch and a scratched door that hangs crooked off it's hinges. The paint has peeled and chipped in many spots, the windows are small and thick, and the only sound to be heard from miles is the soft singing of the wind chime hanging from the roof over the front porch._

_An old truck sits in the driveway, it's rusted paint falling off in small chips, and it's engine, so old sometimes it takes an hour for it to start._

_"Mel! Mel I found something!" A small boy with dusty brown hair runs in from one of the fields, his clothes are covered in dust and his hair is matted with sweat._

_"Jame?" A young girl, smaller than the boy emerges from inside the truck, her long curly brown hair bouncing around her small head._

_The boy runs up to meet her and she jumps out in front of him._

_"I found something in the South fields!" he exclaims, his sea blue eyes shining with excitement._

_The girl frowns, her similar sea blue eyes shining back into his. "Are you pulling my leg, Jame?"_

_He grabs her arm and starts to pull her along with him, giggling as they sprint towards the fields._

_They run to the very edge of the field before he slows her to a stop._

_"What is that?" the girl whispers, her eyes wide, as she stares down into a collapsed hole in the ground in front of them._

_"I have no idea. Want to go down in there?" the boy asks, his face wild with curiosity._

_Shock streaks across her face. "What? Down there?"_

_He nods and starts pulling her closer._

_"Jame, no!" she squeals, yanking backwards._

_"Come on Melanie!" he whines, trying to pull her forward again._

_"Jame stop it!" she squeals again, still struggling against his grip._

_They begin fighting, shoving each other back and forth until suddenly the ground beneath them gives way and Melanie disappears beneath the surface in an explosion of dust._

_"Melanie!" Jame screams, trying to see through the thick dust._

_When it clears he lowers himself slowly into the hole, calling out her name several times. The darkness of the hole engulfs him as he walks cautiously forward, feeling his way farther into the black tunnels._

_"Mel?" he whispers, as he starts to see a soft glowing blue light in the distance._

_It grows brighter as he ventures closer, his small hands brushing against the compact dirt walls. He can see a small silhouette of a girl in front of the glowing blue light, frozen in place, hypnotized by it's power._

_"Mel? What is it?" he asks, creeping up slowly next to her till he stands beside her, staring at the blue light._

_It floats in the air, bright and vibrant, illuminating the whole cave around them. Slowly it descends to the rock below it, growing dimmer and smaller._

_They both watch it until incases itself in a small necklace that lays on the rock in front of them. It glows faintly for a moment before dying out completely, leaving a small round necklace lying on the cool stone._

_The boy reaches out and takes it in his hand._

_"What was that?" Melanie whispers._

_Jame doesn't answer. Instead he takes the necklace and opens it chains so he can place it around her neck. He puts it over her head and places the small blue orb on her chest._

_"So pretty," she comments, touching it with her small fingers. "But what if it's dangerous? You saw that blue light go into it!"_

_Jame shrugs. "It doesn't look harmful. It's just a necklace. Plus the blue light is gone. Don't be scared."_

_"Can I keep it?"_

_"Forever," Jame says smiling, before he helps pull her up out of the hole and into the hot MidEastern air._

_But as he's pulling her up, they fail to notice the sudden flash of blue light that shoots through her whole body, exploding through her veins in a matter of seconds_.

_Melanie Walker was six years old._

Melanie gasps for breath as she shoots up in bed, grasping her chest for the necklace. Once she has it in her hand she squeezes it tightly and takes deep breaths. The wind chimes still echo in her ears.

There's a pounding knock on the door. She pulls the covers up over her chest and reaches over, feeling for the lamp on the bedside table.

"Come in!" she calls out.

The door opens just as she turns on her lamp. Natasha Romanoff stands at the door, peeking her head in.

"Agent Walker we have a situation and we need you down at the bridge in five minutes."

Melanie nods, searching for her glasses and shoving them on before slowing climbing out of bed. She had slept in her clothes from the previous day so changing wouldn't be a problem right now.

Natasha walks over and grabs her white walking stick, handing it to her as she clamors out of bed.

"That's a very interesting necklace you have around your neck. Where'd you get it?" Natasha asks softly, linking her arm around Melanie's as the walk out of the room.

Melanie very carefully grasps it in her hands before letting it slip beneath the folds of her shirt so it can no longer be seen.

"I don't know. I found it."

There's silence between them as they walk down the hallway. Natasha wants to talk but she holds her tongue. There were direct orders from Fury not to discuss Melanie's past, but it was bothering Natasha so much she could hardly stand it. Hadn't Melanie remembered her at all?

They entered onto the main bridge where everyone sat around, all suited up and ready to go.

"Loki's last appearance was in a small town about an hour North of Twin Falls, Idaho. We believe he is preparing for some sort of extra-terrestrial landing. Your job, Avengers, is to capture him and potentially destroy whatever is coming to land."

Fury stands at the head, his face sullen yet serious. Next to him stands Agent Bartwell and Agent Hill.

"I'm going to send in a small team at first, consisting of Cap, Stark, and Agent Barton. Agent Walker and Agent Romanoff will stay back with me in case the first team need back-ups. Dr. Banner, I'm afraid you're going to have to sit this one out. We need you at the lab so you can detect when any gamma rays are spotted."

Fury then turns to Melanie. "Agent Walker, we've upgraded a suit for you. If you would come with me, we'll show you how it works. As for the rest of you, good luck."

* * *

Steve and Barton fly the small aircraft while Tony scouts the perimeter outside.

"I wonder where Thor is. I feel like he should be showing up in his big cloud of thunder by now," Tony says as he searches the desert floor.

"Ah, we don't know what that guy could be up to. Isn't he a king? He probably has better things to do than save planet Earth from his maniacal brother again," Steve sighs, staring at the plane's control panels while Barton flies.

"Well it is _his _brother," Barton comments, flipping some switches.

"Adopted, brother," Tony corrects lamely.

"Remind me again what town this was we were headed to?" Steve wonders.

"Dietrich. It's about four blocks long... kind of square shaped," Tony answers, shooting ahead of them as they begin to see buildings.

They fly over the small town, scanning for potential dangers, looking for a man in green and gold.

"I seriously do not understand how many times we have to defeat this guy. Why doesn't he just give it up?" Steve comments as he cranes his neck to see below the small ship.

"There he is!" Tony shouts, diving down towards the small figure, standing at the edge of a large crater.

"Are we too late?"

The small ship lands a few feet away, it's guns trained on the back of Loki's head.

"Give it up, Loki. You are way outnumbered this time," Tony says as he holds up his armed arm towards Loki.

Loki laughs, turning slowly so he faces his incoming enemies. His emerald eyes scan what he is up against.

"I was waiting for you to come," he says, his gold horns shining in the glaring sunlight. "And I'm glad that I will not be disappointed."

Steve steps out from the plane and holds up his shield. "Disappointed about what?"

Loki laughs again as suddenly a bright light appears in the sky above them. Steve shields his eyes and staggers backwards. The bright light gets closer and suddenly, in an explosion of dust and sand, a giant monster stands before them. It had several small eyes and a large mouth, with sharp teeth jutting out from the sides. It's sandy colored fur bristled in the wind. It wasn't anything Earth-born.

"Holy shit," Tony mutters, backing up slowly.

Barton, who still sits in the plane, stares through the windshield with wide eyes at the large beast in front of them.

Loki walks slowly out of the way.

"Time for dinner, my pet," he says in a sickly, joking manner.

The beast roars loudly, causing the small plants to bend and the men in front of it to fall back by the force. Steve covers his face with his shield.

"Fury!" Tony yells into his radio. "We need back-up now!"

* * *

"The suit was built to fit tightly, but also to be able to stretch with each of your body movements. With the help of some of our finest technicians we were able to create a material that absorbs your energy, so when exerted, it travels through the suit, and not your skin," Fury explains to Melanie as they fly across the desert in a helicopter.

Melanie feels the fabric with her fingers. She breathes. "Wow."

"And something else you might like. These I designed myself." Fury presses a complicated looking pair of sunglasses in her hands. She lightly plays with them in her hands, trying to figure out why they are special.

"When you put them on, you can focus your energy into them, causing ultra-violet rays to shoot back images into your brain, therefore allowing you to see."

Her mouth gapes open. "See? Like actually see?"

Fury nods, a smile on his face. "There may be a few tweaks we need to add, but for the most part you can see just about anything. Though, it's not like how normal people see. It's more like looking through a heat-censored lens on a camera. It was the best we could do."

She nods, her smile never leaving her face. "Thank you so much. This is so amazing."

"I thought you would like it. Not quite like having your full vision back, but pretty damn close."

She holds them close to her chest and leans her head back against the seat.

"Fury! We need back-up now!" Tony yells into the small radio in Fury's ear.

He presses his finger to it. "Stark? What's going on?"

"We got trouble director!" he yells, the crackling of static breaking up his voice.

Melanie and Natasha perk up, readying themselves for an attack.

"We need the-" Tony's radio breaks up, causing Fury to yell back into it.

"HULK!" he screams through the ear piece. "Son of a-"

There's a scream and then everything is cut off by a roar, a roar loud enough that even Fury could hear it over the thumping of the helicopter blades.

"Land right now!" he orders to the pilots, looking at Melanie and Natasha.

"Romanoff, I don't want you to get too close. You help Melanie get to the scene. After that, you get everybody else and get the hell out of there, you understand?"

Natasha nods once, her expression determined.

"Walker," he turns to her, a hint of concern in his eyes. "If you can't handle it, then you abort immediately. I don't want you to push yourself. Understood?"

"Yes sir."

The helicopter lands in an open field a couple miles from the scene. All that can be heard is the sound of intense gunfire and explosions. The people of the town crowd around buildings to watch what's happening out in the distance.

Melanie and Natasha jump out of the helicopter. The blades still spin, making their hair whip wildly around their faces. The dust begins picking up around them as Natasha pulls Melanie out farther into the open.

"Agent Walker I'm going to need you to put on your glasses now!" Natasha yells over the helicopter.

Melanie nods as she replaces her old sunglasses with the new ones. She closes her eyes and concentrates. Soon all the noise around her is dull, and it's just her and her body. She feels the old, but familiar tug in the bottom of her gut. The power bubbles inside of her, vibrating as it comes to life like an old truck being started for the first time in years. She flexes her fingers and stretches out her arms, letting the power begin to flow through her body.

She could feel the suit adapting to the amount of energy the power held, bending and twisting as it snaked it's way throughout her entire being. It rose through her neck and seeped into the awaiting glasses, lighting them up with a dull blue glow.

A flash of light, and another one, and suddenly she wasn't lost in complete darkness anymore. She could see the desert in front of her, each shape, each movement. It wasn't as heavily heat-censored as she had predicted it being. Small bits of normal colors blotched across her vision. It was amazing, so amazing in fact, she desperately longed to be able to see the world again.

"Can you see?" Natasha asks, antsy on her feet.

Melanie smiles wickedly. "Unbelievably so."

And with that, for the first time in years, Melanie ran. And not only did she run, she sprinted as fast as her long legs would let her go. The power was coursing through her veins rapidly, growing stronger as it awoke from it's deep sleep in dormancy. Melanie felt alive again, her old self pushing it's way to the surface, the child inside her screaming like a little kid. The feeling was invigorating. She could run on forever if she was able to. She never wanted to stop.

Natasha struggled to keep up with her as she ran behind her. She was careful not to get to close to Melanie in fear of hurting herself or causing Melanie to lose her fragile control. Had Natasha really forgotten how fast she was? Flashes of memories danced across her vision. Dark forests, strict orders, struggling breaths, burning muscles, failure to catch the enemy. Nobody had ever out run her. Nobody had ever been able to get away.

But Melanie had.

"We're getting close, Walker! Don't attack till I get the others out!" Natasha screams as they get closer to the scene before them.

Iron Man flies up in the air and shoots the monster again and again, but it's hard outer-shell deflects it easily. The monster swings it's giant, clawed arm at Tony, slamming him right out of the sky.

"Barton! Rogers!" Natasha screams into her ear piece, running towards the now burning plane.

Melanie keeps sprinting towards the monster, no fear evident in her glowing blue form. It was odd, the way the suit seemed to mold into her body, the glowing blue power appearing like veins in her arms and legs, the small lines twisting and turning and connecting in certain areas. It was almost like the power was traveling through her blood stream.

Barton hid behind the plane, every once and a while jumping up and attempting to stick an arrow in the monster's soft spot.

"Nat!" he yells as she slides in next to him.

"We need to get everyone out of here before Melanie hits!"

Barton nods, peeking around the side and motioning for Steve to run over to where they were. Steve jumps out from behind a rock and sprints over without getting hit.

"We need the hulk!" Steve yells as he skids to a stop beside them, falling back against the plane.

"We've got someone better. Where's Tony?" Natasha yells as the monster roars loudly again.

"Right here!" Tony calls out as he crashes a few feet away from them, his suit full of dents and starting to come apart.

"We have to leave now!"

"What the hell?" Tony mutters, staring off behind them. They all instinctively turn around to watch what he was talking about.

Melanie stood stone still in front of the gigantic monster, it's face inches from hers. Loki slowly walks down from his perch on a nearby rock.

"I was expecting you," Loki starts, a smile creeping onto his small lips.

A mocking smile appears on Melanie's face for a half second, then suddenly drops as glowing blue energy shoots through her body and flies to her fingertips.

"Get down!" Natasha screams just as Melanie's hands, clasped together, slam into the ground with a powerful force.

Loki's eyes widen as he realizes what's happening. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. Like an explosion from a nuclear bomb, the blue energy explodes out of her in a ring-like manner, spreading across the open desert. As the power expands it slams into both the monster and Loki, sending their bodies flying backwards like limp rag-dolls.

Barton throws himself over Natasha as the power crushes the plane in front of them, causing it to be thrown over top of the crouching super-team. The energy skims off Steve's shield as he curls himself behind it. Iron Man flies backwards with the plane, his arms flailing and legs kicking.

Light travels faster then sound, so seconds later after the wave of energy hit, a sonic boom erupted around them, causing the Earth to shake from it's tremendous thunder of sound. The wind rushed around them for another second before everything went still and quiet.

Natasha didn't move from under Barton's hold on her, his arms encircling her tightly.

"Oh, my God," Tony mutters painfully, several feet away from the others. He lays on his back, his helmet torn from his face and his suit sending off smoke and steam.

Steve peaks out from behind his shield as he sees the dust begin to clear away. The monster lays still on it's side and Loki lays unconscious with his face in the dirt.

Melanie still stands in the same spot, a ring of black around her, stumbling backwards as she tears sparking, smoking glasses from her face.

"Oh God," she whines panicky, falling backwards onto her backside. Steve then sees the blood running down the front of her face.

"Melanie!" he cries, running towards her.

Natasha slowly pulls out of Barton's grip upon hearing Melanie's name. She gives Barton a long look of both gratitude and something else he can't quite put his finger on before jumping up and running over to help Melanie.

"Hey, are you alright?" Steve asks as he bends down in front of her.

Blood pours from her nose uncontrollably. Her eyes stare straight forward as she struggles to stop the blood from dripping down her face and onto her suit.

"I shouldn't have done that," she moaned, holding out her hands that were now covered in blood.

"Steve you go see if Loki is still alive, I'll take care of Agent Walker," Natasha orders as she appears beside Steve.

She places Melanie's old sunglasses onto her eyes for her while using her sleeve to wipe some of the blood away from her face. Tears begin to pour down Melanie's dust covered face.

"I'm so sorry. I..I didn't mean to use that much force, I'm so sorry. I didn't hurt anyone did I? I didn't kill anyone?" Melanie stutters as the tears flow down her cheeks.

"No, of course not," Natasha says softly. "It's alright. The only thing you killed I think is the monster. Maybe even Loki."

"Loki? I killed him?" she whined, pain streaking across her face. "What have I done?"

Steve runs over to where Loki lays, completely still, half his face lying in dirt. He leans over and places his fingers under Loki's jaw to feel for a pulse. It was faint, but it was still there.

"He's alive!" Steve calls out as he pulls out a set of handcuffs from his small utility belt. He takes Loki's two wrists and snaps the cuffs on.

"Agent Romanoff? Agent Barton? Stark? Rogers? You guys still alive?" Fury says over their radio communication.

"We're all fine, director," Steve replies. "I got Loki. The monster is dead. Melanie's got a pretty bad nose bleed but that's about it."

"Tony needs a drink," Tony comments as he limps over to where Natasha and Barton sit with Melanie.

"I think we all need a drink," Natasha mutters as she helps Melanie stand up.

"Quite a..uhh.. curse you got there Mel," Tony says with a small frown, patting her lightly on the back.

Melanie wipes the few tears from her eyes. "I think now you can understand why I don't like to use it."

"A little help over here guys!" Steve yells as he hoists Loki up onto his feet. The former Asgardian is still knocked out cold, and his head sags onto Steve's shoulder.

Barton walks over and they each take a side as they drag Loki towards a helicopter that begins to land nearby. Fury jumps out and runs over with a few other men that help Steve and Barton carry Loki.

The rest pile into seats inside the helicopter, all placing on their head sets.

"That was a lot of power you used out there, Walker," Fury comments as they take off, the wind whipping wildly around them. "I could feel it way over where we had landed...knocked the breath out of me."

Melanie doesn't smile. Her face is grim as she replies. "Yes, I suppose it might have been an adrenaline rush. I was a fool for letting myself get that far."

"I think a warning next time would suffice," Tony comments, his cheesy smirk appearing on his face.

"I don't think those glasses were made to withstand that much power. I'm surprised they held up for as long as they did."

Melanie sighs. "Yes, I'm afraid I ruined them. I really hope those were just a prototype."

"Of course. Next time we'll build them a little stronger."

"Now what to do with Loki?" Steve asks.

Fury smiles. "Oh we've got somewhere special for him."

Thanos watches quietly as the flying black machine disappears into the setting sun. He smiles to himself as he recalls Loki's earlier words. Loki was right about the humans. They don't kill their enemy, they capture them. Fools. In three days time Thanos was to come for him, and when Thanos attacked, he left no survivors.

* * *

_**Hope you enjoyed! I love reviews so pleassee do! Any questions or comments please feel free to leave! (:**_


	5. Cure and Interrogation

Melanie sits quietly on a lab table while Tony stands in front of a screen, typing and looking at graphs. Fury walks in and leans against the table next to Melanie, crossing his arms over his chest.

"What are you doing, Stark?" Fury asks.

"I wanted to run tests on her necklace, see where this power comes from," Tony answers, his brow furrowed.

Fury chuckles. "Wouldn't we all like to know."

"Maybe if we find out, I could get rid of it," Melanie comments, fiddling with a button on her blouse.

"Yeah, and get rid of what it's doing to you. How long has it been since you saw Dr. Helman?" Fury grabs Melanie's wrist and feels her pulse.

"Get rid of what?" Tony interjects, walking over and placing Melanie's necklace in her open hand.

"I was fine until I used my powers yesterday," she sighs as she begins to unbutton the top of her blouse.

"Woah there Lassie!" Tony grabs her hand before she can continue.

Fury laughs, letting Melanie's hand drop out of his grip. "Don't worry Tony, it's something you've seen before."

He doesn't let go of her hand.

"Anthony, it's alright," Melanie reassures, lightly tugging her hand away.

He frowns. "There you go with that name again."

She unbuttons her blouse to about mid-chest before pulling away the material in front of her heart. Tony swallows thickly. The veins around her heart had turned a deep blue, teetering on a sickly black color, and were hard and course against her pale skin. It was almost like the same thing Tony had when his bloodstream had high toxins flowing through him, except hers, was much worse.

"You tried drinking Chlorophyll?" Tony comments as he runs his finger lightly over the raised, black veins in her chest.

"No. Dr. Helman usually gives me a shot that makes it go away... for a while."

"The same kind of shot you gave to me in that cafe?" Tony asks, giving Fury a look.

Fury's lip twitches toward a smile. "That would be the one."

"Mind if I test your blood toxicity?" Tony asks, walking over to his table of computers and grabbing a small instrument.

"It was gone for a long time until I woke up this morning to the pain. It seems as though the suit you designed for me doesn't quite help my condition," Melanie says, running her longs fingers softly over the raised flesh.

Tony walks over and takes Melanie's finger, poking it with a needle and drawing blood. She winces, sticking her finger in her mouth when he's finished.

"How bad does it hurt?" Fury asks.

She shrugs nonchalantly. "Not too bad. The more power I use, the more it hurts and the farther it spreads. The pain is something I can... handle."

But Melanie was lying. When she awoke early this morning the pain was searing through her veins and her chest throbbed like it had been beaten over and over again. Her body was covered in a thick sweat and all she could do was pitifully grasp her chest and try to force herself to breathe. Her condition was plummeting to all time lows but all she could do was keep her head high and make sure Fury wasn't worried. He had enough things to worry about.

"Well if you're ever in extreme pain then I suggest you see Dr. Helman immediately. He'll be in the medical hanger down your stairs and to the right."

"Holy shit Mel," Tony interrupts, staring with wide eyes at the small screen in his hand.

"What?"

"According to my readings, your blood toxicity level right now is so high, you should be dead."

"What's it at?"

He turns the screen towards her without thinking as if to show her, but then he remembers and turns it back so he can read it.

"It's at one hundred and ten percent, olympian," he says almost regretfully.

Her brow furrows. "That's not good."

"It should be toxic though," Fury points out, "it's not like the arc reactor you had. This stuff is actually in her body, so of course her blood will always have lots of toxins in it."

"That's true Tony," Melanie agrees, "Which means drinking Chlorophyll won't help me much."

Tony grabs Melanie by the shoulders and looks her straight in the face, though he knows she can't see him. Her dull grey eyes stare past his shoulder.

"Melanie Walker, so help me God, I will find you cure before that stuff infects your whole body and makes you a fried piece of meat. You understand?"

She smiles and places her hands softly on his face. He closes his eyes as she sees him, running her fingers over all the features on his face.

"I understand Anthony," she says quietly, dropping her hands to her lap. He slowly opens his eyes and gives her a strange look before pulling away and going to type on his computers again.

"Well when you two are done here, I need Melanie to come down to the holding cell. I'd like to know Loki's real intentions this time and I think she can help," Fury states as he walks out the door, giving Tony a smirk as he passes.

"Well Agent Walker, it looks like your necklace has absolutely no source of power in it whatsoever. Which means I'm going to have to take another look at your blood."

She nods grimly, holding out her hand. He pokes her a little harder this time, drawing more blood. He places a tissue over it for her to hold and takes the blood sample over to a microscope to inspect.

Dr. Banner walks through the door with a small screen of his own. He fiddles with it has he walks, greeting Melanie as he walks by.

"How are the tests going?" Dr. Banner asks, watching Tony out of the corner of his eye.

"Marvelous. Bruce you should take a look at this," Tony says without moving his eyes from the scope. He waves him over.

Bruce looks through the microscope when Tony pulls back. He focuses the lenses and squints his eyes.

"Woah. It's like...it's almost like...her cells they're not..." he straightens up, staring at Tony.

"Human? Normal? Red?" Tony fills in the blank.

"What do you mean?" Melanie interjects, beginning to twist her wrists again.

"You're red blood cells, they aren't...red. They're blue, like electrifyingly blue. It's like your power is constantly running through your blood stream. It's incredible."

"Does it give you any idea of what it could be? Where it came from?" she asks curiously.

Dr. Banner shakes his head. "Well there was only one other time I saw that kind of power, and that was when we had the tesseract."

"Which leads me to believe that that necklace used to hold a small portion of power from the tesseract before you put it on," Tony concludes.

Melanie grabs the necklace in the palm of her hand. "So when I put it on, that power traveled from the necklace to inside of me? The tesseract power is in my system?"

"That's what we believe," Bruce says, looking back down at his charts.

"No fear Olympian. We'll find a cure. I promised I would," Tony reassures, touching Melanie's hand.

"That's why Fury hid me," Melanie whispers almost to herself. "He didn't want anybody finding me and using me. Like Loki."

Tony helps Melanie button up her shirt and climb down from the lab table. "Fury's a smart guy. He's knows what he's doing."

She grabs her walking stick and unfolds it, holding it out in front of her so she could begin walking.

"Do you mind walking me to the holding cell? I have no idea where it is," Melanie asks, her arm looped in his.

"Of course," he responds as they walk quietly and slowly through the confusing hallways.

Melanie had gotten used to being in the dark all the time. It was hard at first. She used to have night terrors; waking up in the middle of the night screaming because she couldn't see. But those days were over now. The darkness seemed to almost hold her together; to keep her emotions and her feelings concealed. For her, being blind wasn't a curse, it was a blessing.

"Stark, I think I can take Agent Walker from here," Natasha says plainly as she rounds a corner to face them.

Tony smirks, unwinding his arm from Melanie's and taking a step back.

"Have fun talking with him, he's a real joy kill."

Melanie smiles and Natasha glares.

"I tried talking to him again this time," Natasha starts as they begin walking again, this time Natasha's arm looping around Melanie's. "He doesn't speak. At all."

"Not a single word?"

Natasha shakes her head. "No. And it bugs me, because last time he couldn't keep his mouth shut; threatening everyone he saw."

"Well I suppose this time he has different intentions."

Natasha sighs, the scowl permanently on her face.

"Why do we have to keep pretending?" she asks, changing the subject.

Melanie's expression stays blank. "You know why."

"We used to be such good friends. And now, we have to act like this is the first time we've ever met. I know Barton feels the same way. We miss you. We miss what we used to have."

"It's too dangerous Nat. If he found out we were close, he would hurt you. He would use you against me."

Natasha stops. "Who?"

"Loki."

"How do you know?"

Melanie looks down. "I've already revealed to much. I'm not saying this is certain. I'm only guessing. He hasn't talked to you because you're not the one he wants to talk to. It's me."

"Why you?"

"I don't know."

Natasha begins walking again. "I respect you more than any person I know Melanie. When you defeated me in that old factory and put that knife up against my throat, I thought I was going to die. It was so real, so painfully real. But then you walked away from me. You didn't kill me, you left me there so that I could continue to chase after you, why?"

"I don't know."

"I changed then. Something inside me changed, and I couldn't just follow all orders anymore. I was compromised. I always have been."

"You're good at what you do Natasha. Whether you were compromised or not, it hasn't changed your strength. You're still a kick-ass spy to me."

Natasha smiles. "Thanks Mel."

"Agent Romanoff, Agent Hill needs you at the bridge immediately. I'll take Agent Walker down to the cell," a soldier says uniformly.

Natasha nods before turning to leave. "Nice getting to know you Agent Walker."

Melanie doesn't respond as the man hastily leads her through the hallways. His grip on her arm is unusually tight and he pulls her along too fast for her liking. Forget the walking stick, he yanked her along like she could see every step they took.

"Forgive me if I'm going too fast," he says as he yanks her around a corner. "It was Fury's orders."

"It's alright Lovice," she says through gritted teeth as his name appears in her mind.

He stumbles a bit upon hearing his name but quickly corrects himself and pulls forward.

"I'm sorry," she apologizes absentmindedly.

Lovice slows to a stop in front of a doorway that leads to a large room. In the middle is a large fish bowl though the outside is white so no one can see in. A small square building is attached to the side where guards sit, looking inside the container to watch it's captive.

"I've got it from here," Fury says loudly as he descends from the square building, walking over to where they stand at attention.

Fury grabs her arm and leads her towards the square building.

"At any time you need to leave the container just say the word. We'll have two guards standing by you the whole time so you don't have to worry about him causing you harm."

"He won't hurt me," she states simply as he helps her up the steps.

"It's a precautionary move, Agent Walker," Fury says with authority.

"An unnecessary precaution. I want to be in there alone. He won't talk if there are others around."

He sighs, a scowl on his face. "Well we will watch you from behind the glass."

"Can he see you?"

"No. All he will see is himself. The walls are mirrors."

She nods as two guards come over and open the sealed door, one of their hands placed over the scanner to identity the agent. It beeps then turns green. The door clicks open and a guard grabs Melanie by the arm and leads her into the bright room.  
She taps her walking stick in front of her to see where she's going. The guard leads her to a small chair in the middle of the room that faces Loki head on.

"Thank you," she whispers to the guard as he hesitates by her side.

"Are you sure Agent Walker?"

She nods. "I'll be fine."

He turns and leaves swiftly, shutting the big door behind him. It locks with a loud click.

It's silent as Melanie adapts to the environment.

_Loki Odinson. No, Loki Laufeyson. Brother of Thor Odinson. Adopted._

"They say the walls are mirrors," she says, breaking the silence. "You must get tired of staring at yourself all the time."

A small chuckle escapes his lips. He sits at a small bench, his hands in tight cuffs, and his face turned to the ground. His skin looks hollow and sickly in the pale light, the sharp contrast between his deathly black hair and his white skin is shocking.  
His face had held no emotion until he had watched her enter into his cage. Her long, curly brown hair fell to one side, her tall muscular body fight in loose jeans and a button down pink blouse, and her long white stick tapped annoyingly in front of her, allowing her to see what her broken eyes could not.  
Dark sunglasses covered her eyes like the last time he saw her, but this time, it was like a whole different person was sitting in front of him. She looked innocent and kind, while earlier her fury and determination was shockingly harsh. He was interested to see how she would react to him.

"You've been causing Fury a lot of problems, haven't you?" she said when he didn't respond to her.

"Problems you Midgardians think you can handle," he says in his sickly sweet voice.

Melanie smiles. "Well we did once before, didn't we?"

"This time will be very different."

"Oh, I'm sure. That's what they all say."

A spark of anger flares up inside of him. "You mock me."

"No. I only speak of what I know to be true."

He leans back, taking a good look at her as she sits casually in front of him, her legs crossed and her hands wrapped around the folded up stick.

"And what do you believe to be true?"

She hesitates, cocking her head slightly to the side. "That whatever you're trying to do isn't going to work out the way you want it to. In the end you will loose. The force you struggle to control is not... what's the word I'm looking for? Reliable?"

He laughs, his emerald eyes sparkling. "And what should you know about controlling powers? The others seem to hold you in such high regard. The woman who cannot see but can see everything. Seems like you are a legend around here. But do they really know your flaws? Your struggle to stay like this? Being a hero is not natural for you."

"And being cold-heartedly evil is not natural for you either. Even though you try to suppress it, I can still feel the love you have for your brother, for your family."

"Love would hardly define what I feel for my family," he spits, his emerald eyes full of anger.

"No, you're right. It was used for lack of a better word. But I'm not here to talk about your past, Loki. I want to know what's going on now. Why are you so hell bent on destroying our world?"

"It is my brother's world, and as long as he watches over it, I will try again and again to destroy it."

She frowns. "This is still about your brother?"

"He took what was rightfully mine. He was banished and he still stole it from me!"

"But does that really call the need to destroy everything he is? Everything he loves?"

"I was, and would have been king! As soon as your world is taken over I will be a king once again!"

An annoyed expression flies across her features. "That is a child's dream, Loki!"

"No. I was born to be a king. I was raised to be a king!" His voice grows louder and his cuffed hands ball into fists in front of him.

"We can't always get what we want."

"I do. I will always get what I want." His voice drops down low and his expression is livid.

Her expression smoothes out and she looks calm again. "So you're doing all of this to fulfill your vengeance on your brother?"

Loki's anger fades and his sickly smile stretches across his pale face. "Do not act like this is not familiar territory for you. You and I both understand the strength and determination behind one's personal vengeance. To provide a personal hell for those we have cried against is something of a specialty for us both, am I wrong?"

Her mouth shuts quickly, her jaw clenching as he speaks. He leans forward so his face is inches from hers.

"Don't act like you think I'm a fool, Melanie. You and I both know that revenge is a dish best served cold," he whispers, watching her suck in a breath that left the muscles in her neck bulging.

He enjoyed doing this to people. She was obviously shocked, and slightly lost for words as he spoke serenely to her. Not even the all-knowing women lost in darkness could find a retort to that one.  
He leans back, smiling evilly as she struggles to breathe normally. It's silent in the suffocatingly large cell, the mirrors reflecting their silence back with a million daggers.

"You're a villain who plays to be a hero. How entertaining," he adds, his smile showing the feeling of glory he has.

"You may be right," she whispers after a while, her face turned down to her hands that grip her walking stick tightly. "But you must remember, a man who seeks revenge digs two graves."

Loki smirks, finding in himself a small amount of respect for this woman who can come up with a good retort to his insults.

"And have you dugs yours?" he asks curiously.

She smiles, genuinely. "Of course. And she's already there."

His smile fades and his brow furrows.

"But we're done talking. I've gotten all I needed," she says simply, standing up and unfolding her stick.

"Wait," Loki growls, standing up and grabbing her arm tightly.

He shoves his face up so his lips are right next to her ear. "Be prepared Melanie, when he comes, and he will, not even your own powers can stand up against him. He's stronger, smarter, and faster then anyone you've ever fought."

She starts to pull away but his grip on her tightens. "Your friends will die, and it will be all your fault."

He pulls back slightly, his lips brushing against her cheek lightly. He watches as a small shiver travels through her spine.

The door's alarm sounds and it clicks open. Two guards rush in and grab Melanie by the arm softly. They lead her out hastily as Loki watches, his sly smile spreading across his face.  
The door slams shut behind them and he sits down quietly, his reflection in all the mirrors following his movements. He had warned them of Thanos's coming, and he hoped at least Melanie would be prepared. He knew what was going to happen to her. He hoped she would fight back.

But he didn't hope for her sake, he hoped for his.

* * *

**_Another great chapter! Thank you for the reviews...no matter how few. I appreciate them very much. I have posted pictures on my photobucket for my story. They are different pictures of Melanie and Loki along with some quotes that define the picture. For Melanie I thought Evangiline Lilly fit her looks and character well. So you can check those out, there is a link on my profile page. Review please(:_**


	6. Kidnapping

That night Melanie's sleep was plagued with nightmares.

Flashes of people's faces contorted with anguish, their helpless cries echoing through her ears, and hate, the feeling coursing through her bloodstream and all over her body. The hate that caused her anger, being fed with every one of Loki's sickly sweet words.

"A villain who plays to be a hero," he says in her mind, sending chills down her spine. "Revenge is a dish best served cold."

The face of a dead man appears across her vision. It's twisted in pain and agony, mouthing something to her but she cannot hear him.

"Your friends will die and it will be all your fault."

It's Loki's voice she hear's but the man's mouth that's moving with the words. His greasy white hair is matted with dirt and blood, the wrinkles that cover his face look more prominent and sickly in the pale light.

Melanie screams with both fear and anger before turning and running into the darkness, not caring where she's going. She has to get away from them, from everything. She has to get away from herself.

"Get away!" she screams out into the darkness. "I hate you!"

There's a dim light ahead of her and she charges towards it, clawing at the black air to make herself go faster. There's hot breath on the back of her neck and she throws her arm back as if to bat it away, but there's nothing there.

She stops and turns around, screaming and yelling.

"I don't want you here! I don't want you inside me! Get out! Go away!"

She's greeted with a deafening silence and all she can see is her shadow in a small square of dull light.

She turns around slowly, the only thing heard is the sound of her soft breaths. The sight in front of her is an old, but familiar one. It makes her breath catch in her throat.

Melanie's standing in a long hallway, the walls on each side of her a plain brown with no pictures. Opera music plays softly in the background, it's volume sounding almost muted. She takes one step forward, one step closer to the luminous door at the end of the hallway. There's a piece of paper taped to it, but she can't read it.

She allows her foot to take another step forward, but it's heavy, and for some reason she is strangely terrified. The door, the paper, the knowledge of what lies behind it.

She gets closer and watches as her arm unwillingly reaches out towards the door handle. She's close enough to the paper to read it but the words are fuzzy in front of her. The only thing she can read is the two letters at the very bottom of the page.

RL

She twists the door handle and pushes the door slightly open before...

BOOM!

Melanie jumps to a start in her bed. Her body is drenched with sweat and the pain in her chest is back, thumping like a bucking horse. She grasps her throbbing chest and cries out in pain, falling back onto her pillow as she curls into a tight ball.

And it's then she notices the annoying squawking of an alarm. If she could see, she would probably suspect that there were flashing red lights everywhere.

_Maybe something happened that woke me up, _she thought, the pain slowly numbing.

Still clutching her chest, Melanie scrambles out of her bed and searches for the clothes she laid out yesterday. She strips and begins pulling on her new clothes, their cool, dryness comforting her wet, burning skin.

Suddenly something hits the helicarrier again and she collapses to the ground, taking a small table down with her. The ship groans from the painful impact and slowly straightens itself back up from where it had sunk.

"Godammnit," she mutters in a pained voice, grabbing a chair to help lift herself back up.

The intercom suddenly buzzes and she freezes in place, straining her ears to hear over the annoying alarm.

"This is Agent Bartwell speaking," the intercom says, "we are under attack. I repeat, we are under attack. We need everyone to evacuate immediately. Report to assigned section number. I repeat, we are under attack. We need to evac-"

But he is suddenly cut off. There's a gargling scream before complete silence. The sound is deafening, the knowledge of his immediate death is surprisingly shocking, and Melanie is gripping the chair so tightly her knuckles are a ghastly white. He'll be the first one to go, and then all of her real friends will follow. This was the warning shot.

And now the only sound is the alarm and Melanie's breathing.

"Mortals," a powerful voice echos over the intercom.

Melanie pulls herself upright and begins searching for her shoes and walking stick. Hopefully the hit on the ship hadn't knocked them somewhere out of her reach.

"I'm here to take something I need. You cooperate with me, and I'll spare you a few minutes for a chance to escape. If you do not, then everyone will go down with the ship... in flames. Bring me the girl, Mr. Fury. I wouldn't want you to loose all of your precious Avengers."

His voice curls over the intercom and it's makes Melanie's stomach churn. She knows it's her that they want.

_You can't let them take you! You're giving yourself to the enemy!_

The voice inside her head growls with anger. Melanie closes her eyes and presses her fists up against the sides of her head.

"Get out of my head!" she spits as she pulls on her shoes and grabs her walking stick, bursting out of her door.

She can smell smoke in the hallway and she knows something nearby is burning. She heads in the opposite direction, tapping her walking stick in front of her and feeling the walls for panels that will tell her where she's going.

Maybe if she can get to Loki and his friend before anyone else can find her, they will spare her friends. If she goes willingly, killing them wouldn't be necessary. She was a sacrifice, that's what she was. Let them kill her, if only that would protect her friends from harm.

_You're betraying your family, _the voice says curtly.

Melanie stumbles forward and winces, a sharp pain ripping through her chest. She closes her eyes for a half-second before proceeding forward through the twisting halls.

"No," she says out loud through gritted teeth, "I'm doing this _for_ my family."

"Agent Walker! I'm here to escort you-" a man runs up and grabs her arm but she sends a jolt of energy through him before he can finish his sentence.

He collapses to the ground, unconscious.

"Sorry," she apologizes quickly, beginning to walk in the opposite direction he came from.

Another explosion rips through ship, it's shock wave throwing Melanie against the wall. She cries out as she crashes to the ground, her walking stick flying from her hand. Smoke fills the hallway and she knows the explosion must have been close by.

"Loki," she calls out in a hoarse voice, coughing from the smoke. "Stop this."

She struggles to get up and slowly staggers forward in darkness, her hand gripping the railing on the wall tightly.

"You want me!" she yells out into the thick smoke. "I'm right here! Just take me and leave the rest of them alone!"

She covers her mouth with her forearm, coughing as the smoke fills her lungs.

"Such a brave girl, but yet so much a fool," the voice from the intercom says right behind her.

And suddenly there's a jolt in her back and she's flying forward. Her arms are flailing, trying to grab the closest thing, but she catches nothing but air.

Her body lands on hard concrete, her head smacking the ground hard, making her senses go fuzzy for a few seconds. She can feel something warm and wet pooling beneath her head and she realizes it's her own blood. A sharp pain rips through her skull at this moment, causing her to wince, but not cry out.

Loki can hear them from behind the mirrored walls. He wished badly to see out of this entrapping cage, but the two shaking guards wouldn't open the door for him to leave. If only the walls weren't sound proof and they could hear him so he could cast a spell on them that would make them open the damned door.

So he sat patiently and listened while Thanos played his games with the blind girl. Cruel, he had thought for a second, fighting someone who could not see anything except for empty darkness. What had she been wearing when she blasted him? Special glasses that allowed her to see? She was not wearing them now. He could tell by the way the fighting was going out there. But it shouldn't really be called a brawl if she wasn't fighting back.

"You disgusting swine!" Thanos roared in anger after he slammed Melanie against the side of Loki's cell.

She was bleeding and broken, the beating he was putting on her harsh, and unmerciful. She struggles to stand up, trying to call upon her powers, but to no avail her powers stayed buried in her gut, the only response being a sharp pain that sliced through her chest.

"You're supposed to fight back! Show me how you can fight! I want to see your powers! Show me what you can do!" He roars again, grabbing her by her hair and pulling her up close to his face.

She cries out in pain as he yanks her face up so it's inches from his.

"You want all your friends to die?" he growls, fury coursing through his veins.

"No," she cries, shaking her head as tears stream down her bloodied cheeks.

"Then fight me you disgusting harlot," he spits slamming her on the ground.

She cries, her weak body shaking as she drags herself across the concrete floor. He follows a few steps behind her, watching her struggle to pull herself together.

"Loki told me of your unlimited power, don't hide it from me mortal."

She flips over so she's facing him, her chest heaving as she tries to choke down her sobs.

"I can't, I can't fight you. Please, please just take me away or kill me or do whatever you planned on doing to me. But please don't make me fight you. I can't.. I can't... please!"

He grumbles, kicking her in the stomach and smiling as he watches her cry out and struggle for the air to reach her lungs.

"Hey! You step away from her right now!" Steve Rogers, now Captain America emerges from the small doorway to the large room. His suit is on and his shield held up to protect him.

Thanos chuckles.

"Steve!" Melanie weakly cries out, holding her stomach and dragging herself over towards his voice. "No!"

"Well isn't it a pleasure to finally meet the first avenger himself. Come to die have we?" Thanos sneers, walking towards Steve with an arrogant strut.

"Or have you?" Steve shouts back, backing up slightly as Thanos gets closer.

"No! Steve no!" Melanie sobs, reaching out her hand.

With one powerful swing Thanos knocks Captain America off his feet and onto his back. But he jumps back up quickly and dodges another swing before ramming himself into Thanos' leg.

Thanos, laughing, grabs Cap by the bottom of his leg and flings him into the nearby wall. And without missing a beat, surges energy to the high beams above Steve, causing them to break and collapse down on top of him, pinning him to the concrete ground.

"I need more of a challenge," Thanos grumbles, turning back to Melanie who sobs uncontrollably on the ground.

He yanks her off the ground and drags her inside the small square room attached to the holding cell. Thanos shoots his energy at the two frightened guards and they collapse onto the ground, dead.

He then grabs Melanie's least bloodied hand and slams it against the reader that will unlock the door to Loki's cell.

Loki watches from inside, a devilish grin on his face. But for some reason he feels a twinge of pain shoot through his body when he sees a bleeding and broken Melanie. Seeing her so innocent and confident before and shattered his earlier opinion of her. He was staring at the same girl that defeated him single-handedly in battle and was able to recover quickly from his rude insults. Now she was a mess, her head bleeding profusely and her hair matted, covered in blood, with her face twisted in a sobbing agony. It bothered him and he didn't know why. But he wasn't going to let _that _show.

The alarm sounds and his door clicks open. Loki makes his way towards it, giving the distressed girl a blank, emotionless stare.

"Well do beat her to death, Thanos," he comments sarcastically, still staring at her pained face. "I thought we wanted her alive."

Thanos laughs. "_You_ wanted her alive. I could care less, she's shown absolutely no strength or powers whatsoever that could be useful. She may be bluffing, but I say we just kill her now."

Loki's eyes flicker to Thanos' wild expression. "I only thought she would be able to help later in doing the dirty work. Unless you have changed your mind, then of course, dispose of her. There is no other need to keep her alive."

Thanos smiles evilly. "You are quick with sly words, Loki. Remember who you answer to now."

He then drags Melanie back out into the openness of the room, Steve is unconscious and still pinned under the heavy rubble. Loki obediently follows.

"But alas, we shall stick to the plan and take her. Seeing how her powers would compare to mine interests me."

Thanos drops her onto the ground and begins walking towards the exit.

"Take her and find someone who will fly a jet to get us out of here," Thanos orders as Loki grabs Melanie.

She doesn't fight him, and is actually shocked at how unusually gentle his strong grip on her arm is compared to Thanos'. He yanks her onto her feet and forces her to walk forward, his arms wrapped around her body to keep her from escaping and falling.

"Melanie!" Steve cries out hoarsely as he wakes up, watching Loki grab Melanie and force her out of the room.

He tries to squeeze himself out from under the rubble but it's extremely heavy and it's digging into his legs with an extreme amount of pressure.

"Steve!" she calls back, not able to see him, but giving Loki a few difficulties as she begins to slightly struggle against him.

"Loki, let her go!" Steve yells angrily, crying out loudly in pain as he tries to pull himself out from under the metal beams.

But Loki doesn't respond as they disappear out of the room, and Steve is left trapped while he watches the most important thing on this ship being brutally taken away.

* * *

Fury stumbles as the second blow hits the attacked helicarrier.

"Sir!" Agent Maria Hill calls out, running up to the bridge where he grasps the railing for support. "We're losing engine four!"

Steve and Tony run onto the scene, both with wild looks in their eyes. Natasha clutches the nearby table to keep her balance, and Hawkeye is hanging from a beam up high from where he had fallen. He hoists himself back up on his perch and pulls an arrow, scanning the bridge for any intruders.

"What's going on?" Steve demands as Tony wobbles uneasily to a chair.

"We are under attack. You're up, Avengers," Fury says in a strained voice. "Everyone else needs to evacuate. I don't think this fight is going to be a pretty one."

"This is Agent Bartwell speaking," the intercom says, "we are under attack. I repeat, we are under attack. We need everyone to evacuate immediately. Report to assigned section number. I repeat, we are under attack. We need to evac-"

Fury listens as Agent Bartwell is killed. The others had started to leave but had frozen when they heard his sudden cut-off.

"Mortals, I'm here to take something I need. You cooperate with me, and I'll spare you a few minutes for a chance to escape. If you do not, then everyone will go down with the ship... in flames. Bring me the girl, Mr. Fury. I wouldn't want you to loose all of your precious Avengers."

Fury feels his gut drop to the floor, but it's quickly replaced with a burning anger.

"Who was that?" Tony exclaims, staring at Fury who's face has become stone cold.

"Whoever it is, isn't playing around. I need someone to get to Melanie now!" Fury presses his ear to activate the radio as he repeats his orders.

"Sir, we have a situation in the prison cell level. We got a hulk-sized enemy trying to break into Loki's holding cell," Agent Hill informs, a worried expression on her face.

"Director! Agent Walker has taken out Agent Dunbar!" someone in his ear piece shouts.

"She did what?" Fury demands as Steve runs in, all suited up and ready to go.

Natasha's face pales as she realizes what Melanie's trying to do. "Fury she's turning herself in."

Fury whips around and stares at Agent Romanoff. "Are you sure? Is there a chance she might have been compromised?"

Natasha shakes her head. "She's not going to let us try to hide her and potentially have us killed. She's turning herself in, in an attempt to save us."

Anger streaks across Fury's face. "Cap, you're up. Get to Melanie before that thing on the prison level does."

Steve nods and dashes out of the room.

"Stark, get the Hulk, and lead him to the prison level, Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton, I need you to help get everyone off this ship." Fury orders, walking to the exit as everyone scrambles to their duties.

More blows to the ship send it rocketing downwards. Several of the officers trying to fly it strain against the controls, sweat beading on their foreheads.

"Put it on auto-pilot and get the hell to the evacuation platforms!" Fury yells as they furiously push buttons on their monitors.

Fury grips the railing and stares out the window as the thick white clouds pass by the falling ship. The captain always goes down with his ship.

* * *

Stark stumbles through the smoke filled hallways. Jarvis informs him of all the damages of the explosion up ahead of him. He's trying to find the lab where Dr. Banner would be, but the inability to see and the mess clogging the hallway is slowing him down.

An alert flies across his vision, flashing red.

"I've detected a tampering in the ships wires, sir. It seems as though someone has set some sort of clocking device on the mechanics deck, or to be more precise, on a large fueling compound," Jarvis says as Tony blows away the rubble and dashes into the Lab, only to find it torn apart and Dr. Banner missing.

He stands there a second, in shock. "How much time do we have Jarvis?"

"Three minutes sir."

"Damn. That's not enough time," Tony mutters as he follows the trail of destruction.

"Fury we've got a serious problem. Big guns down below plans on blowing up the ship. We got three minutes, and that was about twenty seconds ago," Tony radios-in to Fury, stopping when he hears the Hulk's monstrous roar.

He sprints down to the prison level, bursting in right as the Hulk lifts up a large beam, Captain's limp body lying under it. The Hulk throws the beam to the side, smashing it into the prison cell.

"Captain?" Tony asks, running over to his side.

He groans, slowly moving his wounded legs. "They took Melanie, Stark. You gotta get after them. They're trying to find a jet to leave. You have to stop them!"

"Can you walk?"

"No!" Steve yells. "Go on without me! Get her back!"

"I can't go without you, they're gonna blow the ship."

Steve cries out in pain as he tries to move his legs to stand up. Tony grabs his arm then turns towards the Hulk, who stands, watching with a worried expression.

"Hulk, find Loki. And when you see him, take the girl to safety and smash everyone else," Tony orders.

Hulk nods, then roars, charging off towards the jet hanger. Tony wraps his arm around Steve and helps lift him up. Steve grunts, sweat pouring down his forehead.

"Who was it? What did he look like?" Tony asks as he walks hurriedly with Steve limping by his side.

"I don't know," Steve puffs. "He was huge... and purple... with a mean face. He has some sort of power, similar to Melanie's. I don't know what it is or to what extent he can use it, but he's strong. Stronger than me, at least."

"Sir, the timer just hit a minute and counting," Jarvis informs, the actual timer lighting up in his vision.

"Son of bitch," Tony mutters, "we gotta get the hell out of here."

* * *

Melanie struggles to breathe as Loki clamps his hand around her mouth. She'd been screaming, trying to get anyone's attention, but it had failed. Whoever got even close was blasted to their death. Thanos was not one to be merciful.

She had tried to summon up her powers, but every time she even got close to letting them explode, that sharp pain in her chest erupted, like someone was throwing a million knives into her chest at once. What was it that was stopping her? The infection in her heart was disallowing her to expel her powers out of her body. And hell, if she could see she might of tried to fight them, but what's the use of swinging fists if you can't see your target?

"Stop screaming you insolent fool," Loki growled in her ear as he dragged her along. "The more you scream, the more people Thanos has to slaughter."

Tears streamed unsteadily down her cheeks.

They arrive into the open take off field and Melanie can feel the cold air on her cheeks.

And suddenly she can't breathe.

The oxygen is so thin up this high that breathing is terribly difficult. She gasps for breath as black splotches appear across her vision. Loki notices and is immediately aware of the change of air. Lucky enough for him he's already cast a spell that would allow him to breathe anywhere.

He rips his hand from her mouth and whispers a small spell into her ear that will allow her to breathe.

Immediately she breathes deeply, allowing her body to consume her much needed oxygen.

And that's when she decides to bust a move.

She slams her head backwards, hearing and feeling a satisfying crunch as it connects with Loki's face. He cries out and stumbles backwards slightly, loosening his grip on her waist, just enough so she can whip her arm around and clothes-hang him in the gut.

"You _bastard,_" she yells and goes to hit him again, blindly.

But he's ready this time, and he catches her fist in his hand, twisting her around so her arm is pinned behind her back. She cries out in pain and he smiles cruelly.

"You pack quite a punch, for a weak, mortal, _girl_," he says snidely, yanking her along faster than before.

His nose is bleeding and it makes him quite unhappy, but he swallows his anger and shoves them faster towards the awaiting plane.

His step falters when he hears the ominous roar from the Hulk. Their last relations hadn't been the best and not in the way Loki had planned them to be.

"Thanos, the Hulk has unsurprisingly arrived," Loki informs, annoyed at the perfect timing for the arrival of the uncontrollable beast.

Thanos laughs, turning back as he sees the monster charging towards them. The Hulk roars, picking up planes and throwing them as he runs. Thanos sucks in a large breath and roars even louder, causing Loki and Melanie to wince as they scramble into the jet.

The Hulk launches himself at Thanos and they tumble to the ground, fist and fist, their roaring and yelling reverberating around them.

Inside the jet Loki handcuffs Melanie with special handcuffs that drain the energy from her system, extracting it into the metal cuffs around her wrists.

Melanie moans, and falls against the side, soft sobs escaping her lips.

"Stop sobbing like a child," Loki spits, watching the monstrous brawl outside.

"Why do you have to do this? Please! I let you take me! Why do you have to kill all of them? They've done nothing!" she cries, her dull eyes searching blindly.

Loki doesn't answer, but watches as Thanos, with a powerful blast, sends Hulk flying backwards, crashing into the nearby building. Loki smirks, walking over to the entrance as Thanos climbs in, a satisfying grin on his face.

"Disgusting amateur," Thanos grunts as he takes a seat near the cock pit.

The pilot closes the opening of the jet and begins to take off.

And with a resounding boom, the lower part of the ship blows, smoke and flames exploding everywhere, each explosion setting off another, until it seems as though the whole ship is on fire. Melanie screams as she realizes whats happening.

Their jet takes off with the rest of the planes, becoming lost in the group, blending in with the rest, disappearing as they make their escape.

Hulk roars as the large helicarrier begins to nose dive, breaking in half as it falls out of the sky.

Iron Man bursts through a burning wall, one of his arms securely around an unconscious Steve. But the weight of both of them is too heavy for the boosters on the bottom of his suit, so they plummet out of the sky, falling with the burning helicarrier.

It's night, and the ocean below them is black as midnight, it's luminous waters beginning to reflect the bright red and yellow colors from the flaming ship, crashing down from the sky.

Tony puts all his energy into his boosters, trying to distance himself from the plummeting ship, but they're falling so fast it's not responding.

"Jarvis! I need power now!" Tony yells, as he pushes himself farther away so he won't get sucked in.

There's a huge explosion as the helicarrier crashes into the ocean. The waves it's created are tremendous, and the smoke billows rapidly out of it, causing Tony's vision to be blurred, not allowing him to see where he's going.

"You better hold your breath Cap," Tony yells as he nears the churning waters below.

As their bodies slam into the water a huge crack of thunder splits through the sky, a man in a red cape shoots down and disappears into the water where the ship sinks. Tony resurfaces quickly, the face of his helmet having been ripped off. Steve's head lays limply against his shoulder.

Tony curses several times as he tries to swim, but the weight of the suit and the weight of Steve is causing extreme difficulties, and all Tony is able to do is swallow and choke on sea water.

Suddenly Hulk bursts from the water, roaring and flailing his arms.

"It's okay, buddy," Tony calls out between chokes for air. "We're right over here pal."

Hulk sees them and swims over, moving stealthily through the churning waters.

"Hulk swim good," Hulk yells as he wraps one of his big arms around Tony and Steve.

Then, with one arm, Hulk double backs to the shore a few miles out, never slowing down or stopping. As they reach the shore Hulk lets them go and begins to slowly phase back into Bruce Banner. Steve wakes up suddenly and begins choking wildly, dragging himself out of the waves and onto the sandy shore. Tony stands and walks sluggishly to a large hollow tree trunk that lays on it's side. He sits down, ripping off his helmet completely.

"Well this suit has seen better days," he mutters, taking a deep breath.

"Hey guys!" Bruce calls out, wading in the waves. "Do you have any... extra clothes?"

Tony frowns as Steve flops onto his back, his body far enough away so that the water only barely licked the bottom of his feet.

"No," Steve calls out, exhausted.

"Sorry Doctor. You might just have to wait out their in the waves a while longer," Tony says lamely, looking down at the dirty sand.

"Yeah... I guess I'll just... wait," Bruce sighs, sinking lower into the waves.

Suddenly Thor comes flying through the air, someone dangling from his arms. He crashes into the sand a few feet down the beach from the others. Tony gets up and runs over as Thor struggles to stand back up, teetering slightly.

"Hey!" Tony calls out, surprised to see the long lost companion.

Thor smiles. "The man of iron!"

Tony smiles for a half second before it fades away when he sees the man lying on the ground.

"You got Fury? Is he alive?" Tony asks, bending down to see an unconscious Nick Fury, his eye patch still securely in place.

"I think so. He was breathing when I pulled him from the water," Thor says, bending down next to Stark.

Tony moves Fury's head back and forth. "Hello? Nick? Earth to Nick! Can you hear me?"

"What happened?" Thor asks.

Suddenly, Fury's eyes pop open and he shoots up, pulling out his gun and pinning Tony to the ground, the barrel of his gun placed firmly against the side of Tony's head.

"Hey!" Tony yells.

"Director Fury! You're alive!" Thor says cheerfully.

"Shit!" Fury yells, releasing his grip on Tony and falling back, supporting himself on his elbows.

"Do you mind if I borrow your trench coat?" Tony asks, smiling.

Fury glares at him.

"It's for Dr. Banner," Tony says quickly. "He is umm... lacking in clothes."

The glare softens a bit and he nods, taking off his heavy black trench coat and handing it to Tony.

"Thanks."

Tony gets up and begins walking back over to the shore. Fury stands up and follows him, limping slightly as he walks.

"Did everyone else get off safely?" Fury asks as Tony wades out into the water, handing Bruce the trench coat.

Bruce takes it eagerly, putting it on and wrapping himself in it like a bath robe.

"Thanks," he says awkwardly as they stumble back to the shore.

"As far as I know. Who you see now are the only people I've seen so far," Tony says, plopping back down on his log. Bruce sits next to him.

Steve has dragged himself to that he leans back against the log, an angry frown is stuck on his face.

"And Melanie?" Fury asks, but he already knows the answer.

"They took her," Steve mutters, glaring down at his feet. "Right out of my grasp. Just like that."

Fury is silent for a moment.

"What happened?" Thor asks.

Nobody answers as Steve chucks and piece of wood out into the water as hard as he can.

"We captured Loki. Someone came and attacked the ship. Took Loki and a friend of ours with him."

Thor frowns. "Who was it?"

"I don't know. He was big and purple."

"Oh. Oh, that's not good," Thor says, staring up into the sky.

"You know him?" Steve looks up from the sand.

Thor nods, his face twisting in pain. "His name is Thanos. He's very powerful and very dangerous. We cannot defeat him."

"Like kill him? Why not?"

Fury crosses his arms over his chest as he listens, the soft hum of the ocean water gliding across the sand.

Thor sighs. "Because he courts death."

* * *

**_A long chapter! Phew! But I hope you enjoyed it! Reviews please(: thanks to everybody who follows my story! Much appreciated!_**

**_Link to the pictures on my profile page. A new pic with a quote will be posted for each chapter. Check it out!  
_**


	7. She's On Her Own Now

**Anon (Guest): Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it so far! I totally agree with you about Thanos. He is an awesome character and a wicked villain. **

**SapphireDreamer26: Yes, Melanie will have to push through the pain for a while. And yes, I always thought Loki was someone who wasn't evil all the way down to his heart..like Thanos. He has no compassion. But thanks for the review.**

**And to all my guests that reviewed, thank you so much! i appreciate it very much!**

**I forgot to mention the title name change... If anyone has ever read the Norse Mythology there's an.. awkward story about Loki and a horse so i decided it was best to change the name.**

**But on to the next chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

Fury, Thor, Tony, Bruce, and Steve sit quietly around a small fire they've built on the shore, their faces transfixed on the flickering flames, the cool air around them nipping at their exposed flesh. The events of earlier in the day hung foul in the air around them, their shock and pain swallowed down into their guts with embarrassed guilt. Nobody had planned on total destruction and devastation happening, and nobody was prepared when it did. How did that old saying go? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. And for Fury, that "shame on me" part hit him right to the core. He was a fool for believing he could encase Loki on that ship again. He was a fool for believing that Melanie could stop that from happening.

And now look where they were. Stranded on some coast, no communication with the survivors, their helicarrier currently sinking to the deepest depths of the ocean, and one of their agents brutally kidnapped and most likely going to be killed. For now, there was nothing the Avengers could do to retaliate. They didn't even know where the rest of the team was, if they had made it out alive.

"Fury, can I ask you something?" Tony asks, breaking the silence and interrupting Fury's thoughts.

His eye flickers from the fire to Tony's concentrated face.

"I hope you don't mind me asking, since in fact we are a bit stranded, and are currently in a... difficult situation, should we be worried about Melanie being in the enemy's hands?"

Steve looks up with a confused look on his face. Thor perks up too, watching the two men.

"What do you mean, Stark? Should I be concerned that one of our team members could be tortured and killed while in enemy hands?" Fury says in a smart tone, his patience gone.

Stark doesn't flinch. "No, I was actually talking about when you were asking Natasha if it was possible she had turned. Or maybe I was just making up voices in my head?"

Fury gives him a long look. "Melanie knows her place. She's on our side."

"Are you sure? Cause you don't sound sure," Tony retorts, his eyes blazing.

"Who is this mortal girl? Why is she of importance? My brother would not just take someone without a reason," Thor pipes in.

"She's someone with more power then she can handle, that's who she is," Bruce answers, drawing shapes in the sand with a long stick. "She's like a ticking time bomb if you ask me. She shows the signs of someone teetering on insanity, losing herself to this... other being almost. Almost... psychotic."

"That would explain the hand shaking thing," Tony agrees. "And the alcohol consumption. Did you know she had her own personal stash of booze on the boat with her? Totally unfair if you ask me. I wasn't allowed to bring any of my intoxicating drinks with me."

"She was drinking?" Steve asks, surprised.

"I told you," Bruce says casually. "She drinks to keep the crazy inside her. That's why Loki wants her. He wants her crazy side."

"That's enough!" Fury shouts, standing up, looking around at the bantering men.

"We just want to know, Director. If she does, we need to know what we're up against," Steve points out, holding out his hands palms up in innocence.

Fury sighs, looking around with an irritated expression on his face.

"Yes, Melanie has very dangerous powers that she has trouble handling. Yes, she is unstable and can easily become uncontrollable. Yes, she used to be on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar, and not the good one. But that's all the past. Melanie knows what side she's on. We have to trust her and we have to keep acting as though she is still on our side."

Tony leans back, his eyes flickering back to the fire that burns slowly in the cool air.

"How bad on the bad radar was she?" Steve whispers.

Fury doesn't answer, keeping his large brown eye trained on the fire.

Suddenly a bright light appears from above them, the sound of an engine and thumping blades fills the air. A large black helicopter lowers itself onto the beach, the wind picking up the sand around it, sending it flying.

"Well finally," Tony scoffed, standing up stiffly.

"Director!" Agent Maria Hill runs out from the helicopter, blood on her forehead and burns on her arm and legs.

Fury stood up, a hint of relief washing over his darkened face. "I'm glad you were able to find us so soon."

She huffed, out of breath. "We lost a lot of men on the ship, Director. Agent Romanoff is in critical. Barton is with her. All our communications are down so tracking the ship that took Agent Walker is impossible. I believe she is lost to us Fury."

He nods as everyone begins to limp over to the helicopter. Tony and Thor each take a side of Steve and help him walk, his severely injured legs barely able to move. Steve winces, biting his lip to keep from crying out.

"We'll head back to base. From there we can figure out what we need to do to clean up this mess."

"And Agent Walker?"

Fury sighs, a glimpse of regret traveling over his features. "She's on her own for now."

* * *

Melanie didn't know where they were, or how long they'd been traveling. She'd been fading in and out, her body struggling to stay alive and awake as it weakened. She was freezing cold, every once and a while shivering tremors would rip through her spine. It was the blood loss, she had assumed. Her head hadn't stopped bleeding, the roots of her hair were pounding in agony, and she didn't think she could move her right arm. Everything hurt, even her mind. Loud and bright images would explode at random times, memories of pain and discomfort flooding in after them. If only death would come faster, she had thought, something would put an end to this horrific pain.

She had remembered leaving the plane, being carried of course, into hot, dry air. Loki was the one that held her, slinging her limp body over his broad shoulders. It was his gentle, but strong grip that she recognized, reminding her of someone else she once knew and cared for. But those memories were locked away deep in her mind, and no one was getting them out.

"Put her in the cage," Thanos growls, and it echos.

A cave was it? Melanie had felt the rapid decrease in temperature, and the echoing sound of the footsteps indicated something large and open. Caves, somewhere in a place that was hot and dry. A desert maybe? The west?

Loki sets her down in the caged cell carefully, leaving her body slumped against the thick metal rods. She lets her head lean against the bars, grateful that their bitter coolness touched the burning fire of her forehead cut.

She was aware of his presence so near to her, and she couldn't figure out why he didn't just leave her alone.

"Heal her, Loki. She grows weaker as we speak," Thanos grunts, and she can hear him skulking about around them.

Melanie feels Loki's long, slender fingers brush over her head and suddenly the pain in her forehead is gone. Slowly, each and every pain she felt was being brushed away by Loki's soft touch, warmth refilling her body and strength building up in her stiff bones.

Loki moves his hand over her right arm and heals it quickly, feeling the bone move back into place. He watches as the color slowly returns back to her freckled cheeks, the painful grimace on her face fading as he took away each of her injuries.

Thanos watches him skeptically, slightly amazed at how easily Loki could undo the damage he had done. It was Loki's magic that Thanos needed to succeed. His inability to travel between Realms secretly had held him back for many years, but now that he had Loki in his grip, he would be unstoppable.

"Don't." Melanie's sharp voice cuts through the silence, catching Thanos' attention.

Melanie's hand was wrapped tightly around Loki's pale arm, his hand inches from her chest. Loki cocks his head to the side in curiosity.

"I don't want you to heal any more of me," she says sharply, not loosening her grip on his arm.

A smirk spreads across his face and he snorts, pulling back his arm from her grip. She lets go as she hears him stand.

"It's too bad the others had to die. Mortals are so humorous, the way they bask in their weak pride. I'm sure the team of supers together would have made for a grand comedy," Thanos comments, watching as the girl turns her face away to hide the pain of their loss.

"Now that we have obtained our package, what is it that the great Thanos would be pleased to spend his time doing?" Loki asks as he snaps the power-sucking handcuffs back on Melanie's wrists. The small orb in the middle begins to glow blue with the power.

Thanos chuckles. "Ah, I'm sure I could spare a few months from universal take over to spend time with the one I love."

Loki smiles. "Of course. I hear Valhalla is beautiful this time of year."

Thanos glares. "I do not want any mockery from you, Loki."

Loki holds up his hands in innocence. "Forgive me I was only making a small jest. Give Mistress Death my love."

"Of course."

Thanos suddenly stands up and grabs Loki tightly by the neck, dragging him over so that their faces were inches apart. Loki winces and grunts as the tight grip around his neck cuts off his source of air.

"I'm only giving you a few months with her. If by the time I get back she's still uncooperative, I'll expect you to finish this side business and come alone. Do you understand?"

Loki glares as he struggles to pull back from Thanos's grip.

"I want no loose ends Loki. Make her join, or make her die."

Thanos lets go and Loki crashes to the floor, gasping for breath. He runs his fingers over his neck, quickly healing them, sending a harsh glare in Thanos's direction as a bright light fills the room.

"I come for you, Mistress Death," Thanos says as the light brightens.

Loki shields his eyes away from the light, looking over at Melanie who sits crouched in the back corner of the cave, not flinching from the glorious light above them.

And when it subsided, Thanos was gone, and Loki was left on the floor, alone, with a prisoner he wished he had just killed earlier.

Loki hated being treated like a know-nothing slave. Just because Thanos was bigger, and stronger, and maybe even a little smarter, did not give him the right to boss Loki around. Loki, the one who gave him the ability to travel between the Realms without being seen. Without him, Thanos would be nothing.

He shook off his embarrassment and stood upright, adjusting himself and looking around the large cave, evaluating his residency for a while. It wasn't half bad. There was a large bed in the back corner, a small river that ran through bits of the cave for bathing, clothing for the both of them when their current attire got dirty, and of course a small box of light, or what the mortals called it, a television.

Melanie's soft sobs interrupt his thoughts and he shoots a glare in her direction, only then remembering that she couldn't see him. He sighs and rolls his eyes in annoyance, stalking away and over to his large bed. There he plops down and closes his eyes, breathing in the cool air of the damp cave. He hadn't slept in days, the blinding white, mirrored cage he had been in had prevented him from getting any rest at all, not to mention the several forms of torture Fury had put him through. All those things necessary for Thanos's plan, of course. Though those three days had felt murderously long. But here he was now, alone in his own peace and quiet that he had grown comfortable with all his life. And with a small smile on his face, he slipped into a peaceful slumber, all the pains and worries wiped away, and the memories of a small boy and his brother welcomed in.

For five days Melanie sat in that cage, in the same spot, in the same position. She neither ate the food Loki gave to her on that loud metal tray, nor spoke a word when he tried to talk to her. Her cheeks burned from the many tears she had shed and her wrists burned from her writhing wrists in the tight cuffs. Without her daily alcohol intake the tremors in her hands had spread to her arms and shoulders, making the concentration to stay sane that much harder. The other Melanie was trying to get out. She could not push her away with her wise words any longer. She was starving, she was hurting, she was in enemy hands. Melanie was broken, and the other was taking over.

_I helped you last time. I can help you again._

That same, sweet, sickly angelic voice would ring in her ears, tempting her, beckoning her, dragging her into her psychotic past.

Her sleep would be plagued with nightmares, or memories. Memories that would be nightmares.

_Go away. You only ever hurt me. You never helped me._

_But I helped you rid your heart of all that _rage. _It was so full of anger and hate... I helped you get rid of it. I helped you become hollow again._

Melanie twists her wrists in her handcuffs, her raw skin burning as she rubs them against the rough restrictions. Sweat beads on her forehead and her breath comes out in shaky puffs.

The loud clang of metal against rock startles her, making her jump. The smell of meat and bread fill her nostrils, making her stomach growl. But she turns her face away, swallowing the aching hunger in her gut.

"You need to eat or you will die," Loki says softly, pushing the tray of food closer to her, the sound of scraping metal painful to her ears.

Loki crouches down in front of her and watches her, his eyes fixed on her turning wrists.

"Why do you do that?" he asks, but he's not surprised when she doesn't answer.

He shrugs, standing up and leaving the cage, closing and locking the door behind him.

"If you don't eat soon you'll start to hallucinate, and when that happens, I'm going to leave you out in the desert till you die," he threatens nonchalantly before disappearing into the darkness of the cave.

Melanie shivers, the brisk air nipping at her exposed flesh. She lets herself get pulled into another dream, though now her dreams were just memories. The familiar pain seeping into her bones.

"_Deen Elmroy," a tall man with wrinkled skin, greasy grey hair, and small beady eyes greets, holding out his hand._

_A younger Melanie takes it firmly and shakes it, a smile plastered across her face._

"_It's a pleasure to meet you in person. I've seen you on TV and watched some of your races. You're an incredible athlete," he comments, pulling back his hand and stuffing it in his pocket._

"_Well thank you," she responds, looking in another direction, showing a glimpse of her impatience._

"_I'm the head of JuicyCorp., you know, the company that makes kids Lemonade?"_

"_Yeah, I know," she says almost shortly as if to hurry him along._

"_Well I was wondering if there was anytime we can talk?"_

"_Aren't we doing that right now?"_

_He frowns. "In private."_

"_Look I've already got enough sponsors and I really don't have time for this. You know there are several great athletes out there that could use a good sponsor like you. So if you'll excuse me I'm late to my afternoon workout."_

_She jogs away, leaving the man speechless._

Melanie tries to wake up but she's sucked into another dream.

_She sitting down, but it's dark and she can't see anything. Tight ropes are knotted around her wrists and ankles. Her heart is pounding and she can feel the sweat rolling down the back of her neck._

_Opera music suddenly starts to play in the background, its the sweet melody of Ave Maria flowing through the darkness. Melanie freezes before looking around trying to find the source._

"_What a beautiful song. Said to be one of the most popular Catholic prayers. Ave Maria. The first two words that the Archangel Gabriel said to the Blessed Mother. Hail Mary. After what I've done, I think you better start getting to know your prayers," Deen's voice whispers in her ear._

_She slams her head back in an attempt to hit him but she only meets empty air._

"_I killed you!" she screams, struggling to get out of the chair. "Why are you still here? I killed you dammnit!"_

_There's suddenly a light ahead of her and strains her eyes to see what it is. _

_A door. A single white door with a piece of paper stuck to it._

"_No," she moans in a soft whisper, feeling the tight ropes loosen where she's tied down._

"_Melanie," his voice whispers in the darkness._

_She stands and slowly begins walking towards the door, her mind screaming at her feet to stop by her body ignoring it._

"_Your rejection was harsh.."_

_The opera music gets louder as she moves closer to the door, the letters on the paper now barely readable._

"_...and I don't like being made a fool of..."_

_Her hand reaches out towards the door handle, her long tan fingers wrapping around it's silver exterior. She breathes deeply as she opens it a crack, allowing her to see what looks like a bedroom with the moonlight shining in on the carpet._

"_...you wouldn't have to open the door..."_

_When she pushes it open a little farther, she sees something on the wall. The tip of a handprint, the tips of fingers, smeared on the white wall._

"_...to see what I've done..."_

_A smeared handprint on the wall... made of blood._

"_...to your husband and child."_


	8. Exploring the Unknown

When Loki successfully used his magic to turn another one of SHIELDS weak-minded agents, he was able to to have instant access to any of SHIELDS top secret files, including those on his prisoner, Melanie Walker. He was pleased with his cunning work and had secured a small shack in a small village outside of Tanzania, Africa. But what had angered him most was that of all the deep files, there lay only one about the mysterious girl who didn't have any vision. No matter how hard he dug, no matter where he looked or who he asked, very little was recorded down for her. Only basic information was listed on the few pages under her name.

_Name: Walker, Melanie  
Status: Inactive  
Restricted Access: LEVEL 7  
Classified: EYES ONLY_

Loki was not interested in her basic information. All those things he could tell by looking at her. He wanted to know what happened during a period of her life that was missing. All the information given was when she was a child and after she became an agent for the government. There was a large gap of time that seemed to be left out of everything he tried to find out about her.

"Do you know anything about her that's not in the file?" Loki asks the hypnotized SHIELD agent, Agent Carter.

He shakes his head. "No my Lord. Agent Walker was released from the headquarters two years ago. She was unable to work in the field because she was unreliable and her powers weren't stable enough. Those were just rumors of course. The only person that knows anything about anything is Fury."

Loki grumbles, flipping through the pages once more. The only thing that was of any help was a name. A name of a man who was recorded as one of her, "victims."

_Victims [CLASSIFIED]_

"Who's RL?" Loki asks, running his finger over the picture of the two letters written in red ink.

"Dean Elmroy, head of Sunco. His nickname was Red Lemony. He was the last man Agent Walker killed during her falling out."

"Falling out?"

Agent Carter nodded. "Agent Walker used to be filed as a threat. She was supposed to be taken out, but Fury changed his mind."

"When was this?"

"Six years ago."

Loki smirked. "Not so long then? What caused this falling out?"

"I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"No, my Lord. Her project was top secret then, and still is mysterious now. There are no files on that matter. They were all burned. Even Level 7 couldn't cover those files."

"Interesting," Loki mused, throwing the small folder back onto the table next to him.

The small shack they were meeting in was far away from where the caves were. In case any of the mortals found them he didn't want Melanie any where near as to keep her captured and away from them.

"Do you have a family Agent Carter?" Loki asks, staring directly into the man's glowing blue eyes.

"No."

Loki smiles darkly. "Well then no one is going to weep when your gone, right?"

"My Lord?"

And in one swift move Loki reaches over and snaps Agent Carter's neck, his limp body falling the floor with a loud thump.

Loki's smile fades as he stares at the dead body in front of him.

"Thank you for your help," he mutters sarcastically before grabbing a few folders and teleporting himself back to the caves.

As soon as he finds himself standing in the dark caves he hears the screaming. They rip through the cave and bounce off the walls, creating a noise so sharp and vociferous he winces, dropping the files to the ground and covering his ears.

He runs over to the cages and rips open the door, stopping when he sees Melanie pressed up against the bars, terror stricken and shaking.

"Silence!" Loki yells, making Melanie's scream stop short.

He glares at her, slowly lowering his hands from his ears.

"What is the matter with you?" he whispers harshly.

She breathes quickly like she's out of breath, frowning as if she's not even sure what was wrong with her.

"I..I'm hungry," she stutters quickly, starting to twist her wrists in her tight cuffs.

Loki's eyes flicker to her wrists and he wants to reach out and make them stop but he doesn't.

"Were you hallucinating?" he asks, curious as she would announce her obvious state of need, avoiding his accusing question.

She hesitates and he can see the answer in her expression, but she lies. "No."

He scoffs. "You cannot lie to the God of Lies, Melanie. What did you see?"

She slowly lowers herself back down to the floor, curling herself up in a ball once more.

Irritated that she won't answer, Loki walks over and crouches down so he's right next to her. He leans in close to her ear and whispers.

"You are aware that I am a great magician, are you not? You should know that if you won't tell me the answers to my questions I can simply slip into your mind and look for them myself. I'll be able to see, feel, and understand everything that you've seen, felt, and understood since you were born. There is nothing you can hide from me that I won't find."

She shutters as his cool breath travels down her neck.

"Then I'll let you pry through my thoughts, for they are better felt and seen then ever explained," she retorts quietly, almost afraid of her own voice.

"Very well," Loki says after a while before standing up and leaving the small cage.

"I'll bring you back some Midgardian food, then you may sleep, and let me enter into your dreams."

Melanie doesn't respond as she hears him disappear again. A sick feeling fills her empty gut and she can feel the dread fill her broken heart.

She wished that he would just kill her and put her out of this misery. She wasn't going to be any help to him, she decided that no matter what she would never give in to his evil temptations. Starving herself would kill her, but it would also make her hallucinate and go crazy, and the things she was seeing would give Loki useful information that he needed to obtain her power.

She wished she could see. She wished she could see so that the images she saw would block out the old, painful images that were trapped in her mind. Her memory and past was so vividly clear, like it had happened yesterday. She was trapped in her own mind, unable to get out and move on.

"Now eat," Loki demanded as he slid the tray across the cool surface.

The scraping noise it made sent chills down her spine. She reached out her hand and felt the soft texture of bread and meat. The smell immediately filled her nostrils and she recognized it as a hamburger. Her stomach growled hungrily and it took her all the will power in the world not to stuff it down her throat as fast as she could.

"Thank you," she called out gratefully as she took a bite of the juicy hamburger.

"I'm curious Melanie," Loki started as she ate slowly, "I know you killed many people in your rage, but what was so important about your last kill? The older fellow, Dean Elmory."

She swallows thickly. "Afraid I don't know who that is."

"Or should I call him Red Lemony? You may have known him by that name."

She chokes on her burger and has to cough before getting it back down her throat.

"Why was it so important that he die so brutally? All of the others were just quick kills, but not him, the things you did to him were atrocious."

"I don't remember."

"Of course you do!" Loki snaps suddenly, standing up from his chair and pressing his face against the bars of her cage. "That is not something one ever forgets!"

"Oh yeah? How would you know?" she snaps back angrily, shoving her tray away from her.

"Oh Melanie dear, I believe we have both had our moments of revenge. You think I just kill to kill? I kill for a purpose, a _glorious _purpose."

She scoffs. "Revenge for losing the throne to your brother? That's anything _but _glorious. I said it once and I'll say it again. What you have is some sick, twisted child's dream that you can't let go. You've killed hundreds just because little Prince Loki can't get what he wants. You think you've experienced loss? You have no idea what real loss is!"

And then Loki snapped.

In a furious rage, Loki swings open the cage door, grabs Melanie, yanks her from off the ground and drags her along beside him across the large cave. She stumbles next to him, wincing and crying out as Loki's grip on the back of her neck tightens. She suddenly feels a burning heat on her face and arms and she knows they're now outside.

She trips several times and stumbles forward, her feet kicking up hot dirt, but Loki catches her every time, forcing her to walk faster.

He yanks her to a stop suddenly, grabbing the side of her face and shoving it sideways into a nearby cactus. The sharp points press into her soft face causing her to wince, but not hard enough to draw any blood.

She feels his face so close to hers.

"Don't _ever _tell me I don't know what real loss is. I know what it is. I know what it's like to lose everything. I _know _what it's like to lose someone you care about," he spits furiously, his grip on her face tightening.

"And if you ever even _think _about insulting me like that again, I will take this pretty little face of yours and leave it stuck to this plant till you die. I'll make you bleed so your death comes slowly. I'll make you feel death before you succumb to it. I _will _make you experience a real loss. Do you understand?"

She whimpers, the sharp pines digging into her face.

He shoves her face into the cactus harder. "Do you _understand_?"

"Yes!" she cries out weakly, a small sob escaping her lips.

He pulls her face away from the cactus and lets go of her face. She reaches up to feel if she's bleeding while he grabs her arm and drags her back into the cool recess of the dark caves. He didn't speak a word to her for a long time.

* * *

Loki waits until Melanie has fallen asleep, the sound of her slow, steady breathing cueing him to move in. He remembers the spell and as he slowly approaches her sleeping form, he recites it out loud.

Pressing his fingers softly onto her face, he closes his eyes and feels himself melt into her mind and into her thoughts.

_Loki finds himself standing in a crowd, watching a cleared away road with a large arch at the end with the word FINISH written in big letters at the top. He leans over, peering down the road, watching as two runners make their way down the home stretch. The crowd around him is going wild, jumping up and down and cheering. The runner behind the first one is gaining speed. Her brown curly hair flies behind her in her thick ponytail. He recognizes this one as Melanie and he watches as she passes the other runner, crossing under the arch first, her hands raised over her head in victory. _

_Suddenly the scene changes and everything becomes white. He looks around, searching for anything of color and form. He hears lots of whispering surrounding him but he cannot find the source of them._

"_Hello?" he calls out into the emptiness. His voice echos and the whispers suddenly hush to a complete silence._

"_What are you doing here?" A sharp voice startles him from behind._

_He whips around to face Melanie, her dark clothes, hair, and features are a startling contrast to the bright whiteness of the vast space. Her eyes, a shade of brown so dark they could be black burn holes into his body._

_He attempts to play it off with a smirk. "Melanie, it's good to see-"_

"_What do you want? You're not welcome here."_

_His smirk slowly fades. "Did I not warn you of all the things I could do? All the powers I possess? If there's something I want from someone, I get it."_

"_No magic can penetrate the will of someone's mind. Now get out."_

_He hardens his features into a similar glare. "I will leave when I get the information I need."_

"_Then you're a damned fool."_

_He snorts. "I may be damned, but I'm not a fool."_

"_You've been warned," she starts, the scene around them changing, colors flooding in around them. "Search at your own risk. If you get lost in the memories, you may never find a way back out."_

_She suddenly fades into the background, disappearing into the scenery. _

_Large trees surround him, a gravel pathway stretching out in front of him. The reddish tint of the leaves suggest it's fall, though the air around him is still and warm. He puts one foot forward and hears the satisfying crunch of the gravel beneath his feet._

_He begins to walk forward slowly, each step more confident than the other._

_There's a house ahead of him, a very expensive looking house with many large windows and room levels. _

_As he ventures closer a young child, a boy, with curly blonde hair runs out of one of the doors, laughing and squealing with glee. The top of his head would only come up to the bottom of Loki's knee, so he knew that the child was only very young._

"_Charlie!" a man's voice calls out from inside the house._

_The young boy struggles to climb down the steps with his stubby little legs as fast as he can._

_Loki stops at the bottom of the steps watching the child with humorous grin on his face._

"_Charles Michael Walker!" a man yells playfully as he steps out onto the small porch._

_He's a tall man, strong and slim with blonde hair. Loki panics and freezes in place, not knowing if the man can see him. But he doesn't, his eyes grazing over his obvious form in front of him._

_The child didn't seem to notice him as he runs past him with one of his hands in his mouth._

"_Come eat your dinner little do-do! I promise apple sauce really isn't that bad!"_

_The man skips quickly down the steps and chases after the small boy. _

_Loki uses this opportunity and climbs the steps quickly, stepping swiftly inside the large mahogany door._

_As soon as he does this though, the tone changes. It becomes dark outside and the only light is a single lamp in the corner of the room, next to a large cushioned chair that sits empty and dusty._

_Music suddenly begins to play in the background, a woman singing majestically, her voice ringing throughout the rooms. It's eerily silent though, even with the music. There's unfinished food on the table and the large television is on, the pictures flickering across the screen with no sound._

_Loki turns around in a circle looking for something, suddenly quite aware of how hard his heart pounds in his chest._

_He wonders if he had traveled to a part of her memory that was empty, a space that was just there to fill an empty void. Maybe it was even a trap she set to protect invaders from the precious parts of her mind. _

_He makes his way toward the front door, wanting to get out of this place, this lonely, empty place that reminds him of his own trapped mind._

_The music suddenly stops playing and he freezes, listening hard in the eerie silence. There's a small click by his ear and before he can turn completely around to see what it is, he hears a woman's piercing scream and then an explosion of light._

_He flies backwards for a long time. It feels like he's falling. _

_He cries out and suddenly he's lying on his back, rain falling gently on his face. He's in a forest somewhere, the night sky pitch black from the dark rain clouds._

_He sits up on his elbows and looks over to see a dark figure crouched beside a small lake. The figure has streaks of blue glowing all over it's body like veins. _

_He watches as it shudders, throwing it's arms out and letting out what could only be described as a raging roar._

_Blue light explodes from it's hands and shoots in the air like rockets. It seems to build, the light, and as Loki suddenly realizes what's about to happen, it explodes around him like a bomb._

_Loki scrambles off the ground and tries to run away but the ring of blue hits him with a force so strong he's once again flying._

"_Enough!" Loki cries out as debris flies all around him, covering his face with his arms._

_When everything has stopped and silence closes in, Loki slowly removes his arms from in front of eyes, squinting as the bright sun temporarily blinds him._

"_Fury?" a voice calls out in front of him._

_Loki blinks several times before being able to see his surroundings. The place looks similar to where he was hiding now. Dry and barren, a desert. In front of him a smoking pile of debris that looked to have used to been a small house. Fury, in his long black trench coat stands in front of a body of a girl, burn marks across her eyes and body. It was Melanie, her broken, bloodied, burnt body hardly recognizable._

"_Is she alive, sir?" A younger man runs up closer to Fury, a large automobile parked not to far away._

_Loki doesn't move from where he lays on the ground, his upper body propped up on his elbows._

_Fury bends down, placing two fingers just below her jaw line._

"_Oh she's alive," Fury confirms, gently grabbing her chin and rotating her head so the other side of her face could be seen._

"_Your orders were to terminate her. Should we carry them out?"_

_Fury stares at the body for a long time, his jaw locked and his face tense. He reaches down and pulls something out of her pocket. A folded up piece of paper._

_Fury studies it for a while, the concentration on his face never breaking. Loki stands up and slowly walks over till he's a few feet behind Fury. He's eager to know what the paper says and reads it as Fury studies it._

Melanie,

Your rejection was harsh and I don't like being made a fool of.

Maybe if you had stopped and thought about my offer you wouldn't have to open the door to see what I've done to your husband and child.

RL

_Loki chokes down a strange sickening feeling that sprouts in his chest. Fury closes his eyes for a moment, a look of regret passing over his features._

"_Call the A-VAC Team and the Paramedics. Get her to the closest SHIELD base and await my orders from there," Fury orders, his eyes opening._

_The man seems confused and upset._

"_But Fury sir, she's a threat-"_

"_Not anymore," Fury interrupts. "She's just a lost soldier, waiting to be found."_

_The man hesitates before pulling out a walkie talkie and follows Fury's orders._

_Fury stands up, the paper unfolded in his hand. He pulls a lighter out of his pocket and puts the flame to the corner of the paper. It ignites and burns slowly in his hands until it's just black flakes of paper gliding softly to the desert floor._

_Loki tries to pull himself away from the memory and finds himself standing in the white open space again._

"_That's all I'm allowing you to see Laufeyson," the same sharp voice says from behind him._

_He chuckles, almost glad to be able to talk to her again._

"_It wasn't that bad."_

_She scoffs, crossing her arms over her chest. "Don't forget little King, as long as you've opened your mind to be able to scamper through mine, I can just as easily get to yours. You search too long and too hard, your memories will start mixing with mine, and I'll be able to see every dirty secret you've ever hidden."_

_Loki scowls. "There is nothing I have to hide."_

_She smiles wickedly._

"_Everybody has secrets Loki. Everybody."_

_And with that Loki is sucked out of her mind._

His eyes fly open and he falls back onto his hands, gasping for breath.

Melanie still lies motionless against the bars, her steady breaths echoing softly in the caves.

Loki looks down at his wrist where a small rope bracelet is tied loosely around it. He reaches over and tucks the bracelet into the sleeve of his leather jacket, hiding it from view. Her words replay over and over in his mind.

"_Everybody has secrets Loki. Everybody."_

* * *

_**Sorry this chapter took so long to post! I hope you enjoyed it though! Reviews and comments please! (:**  
_

_**And if you want to hear Ave Maria, the opera that has been playing in Melanie's memories, here is a link to listen to it: **_

_** watch?v=2bosouX_d8Y  
**_


	9. Sharing Time

**_So I just realized that the link on the last chapter was a dud. Boo! So here it is again, and hopefully it will work this time! Enjoy!_**

**_ watch?v=2bosouX_d8Y_**

"I'm sorry that my very human needs have to be brought to attention, but when mother nature is calling, she is calling," Melanie says in an irritated tone, her hands gripping the bars of the cage.

Loki grumbles and rolls his eyes. "Very well. If you even attempt to try an escape I will make you severely suffer."

"Trust me, I wouldn't even dream. Where would I go anyways? It's not like I can see."

Loki opens the door and grabs her roughly by the arms. "You're a clever girl. I'm sure you could come up with something."

Loki leads her deeper into the caves where small rivers run through quietly, twisting and turning throughout the rock. He didn't take off her handcuffs until they were right next to the shallowest of the rivers.

The glowing blue light on the handcuffs slowly dulled till it was no more. Melanie moved her wrists about freely, glad to finally have them off.

"The water is only a few feet deep. You can bathe in it as well if you wish. There is constant running water so it won't be polluted," Loki said stiffly, setting a towel and some fresh clothes on a rock by the river.

Melanie nods, turning around so her back faces him as she begins to unbutton her blouse. Loki watches in silence as she strips, suddenly interested in the black design painted in the middle of her back. She lets her pants drop to the floor and Loki immediately feels heat rise up his neck and onto his face.

"You can stop watching me strip Loki," Melanie says in a sort of playful tone, slowly walking towards the water and letting herself slip into it's dark recesses.

"I was not watching!" Loki said quickly, but that seemed to make him even more embarrassed.

She chuckles quietly and submerges herself completely underwater. When she resurfaces, her once curly hair is now slicked back and stuck to her head. She places her arms on the edge and stares in his direction, placing her chin on her hands.

She smiles. "Have you ever seen a naked woman?"

He glares. "I'm not going to answer that question."

"Why not?"

"Because you're acting like a child and asking silly questions."

She frowns. "So by saying it's a silly question to ask, I assume you have? Because if it's silly to ask that's because the answer is obvious."

"Now you're just being ridiculous."

"Am I? Or have you never seen a woman naked? Is Loki a _virgin_?"

Loki presses his fingers against his temple to try and control his anger. She was trying to get him upset and he couldn't let her have power over him.

"Of course I've seen a woman naked, Melanie. I was once a prince. We had many women available to us whenever we pleased," he says in an irritated, exasperated tone.

She smirks. "I figured it didn't bother you much, watching me change. Though, I could almost hear you blushing from where I was standing."

Before he could come back with a retort, she disappears under the water. Growling, he fetches some soap he magically created and places it on the edge of the water. Her head pops up from the water and she grabs his arm before he can pull away.

"It's soap," he says irritably, not liking the feel of her wet hand wrapped around his arm.

"Were you in my dreams last night?" she asks, the playfulness and humor now out of her voice.

He stares into her dull eyes. "Yes."

He slowly looks down her arm to the right side of her chest. The water barely came up to the top of her breast and it's wetness licked at the black veins surrounding her heart. He stared in a strange curiosity.

"What did you see?" she asks softly.

"Enough," he responds lamely. "Now tell me what is wrong with your heart. Does your power cause this?"

She pales and suddenly shoots backwards, submerging herself deep enough into the water so that it came up to her chin.

"You weren't supposed to see that."

He cocks his head to the side. "Why not?"

She swims back to the edge and grabs the soap. "Well you're not supposed to show the enemy your weakness, right?"

She begins to scrub at her skin with the soap, washing away the dirt and the dried blood.

"So your power does cause this?"

She shrugs. "I suppose. Every time I use my power in great amounts, it gets worse. It's a theory I guess. I mean it could just be bad tap water."

He frowns and she laughs.

"Sorry. That was a joke."

"I did not find it humorous."

"I figured," she retorts, washing the soap from her skin.

"You know, for being this really evil, threatening bad guy, you're actually not that bad. Not like the other guy. You don't seem to really like the allegiance between you two. Well at least that's what I assumed from the tone of voice you use around him."

He scoffs lightly. "You do assume too much."

"You're really good at avoiding questions aren't you?"

"Well, you should say the same for yourself Melanie. How many times have I asked things about your personal life and gotten no answer?"

She rubs the soap into her hair. "True. Well how about for now we both just answer one question truthfully. Sound fair?"

Loki stares at her for a moment as he contemplates. He already knew about her family, which is what he suspected she would be expecting him to ask, so he didn't necessarily need to agree, but she wouldn't ask him anything to personal. She knew nothing about him. He decides it would not hurt to agree.

"Fine. I'll ask first."

"Have it your way," she sighs.

He places a finger over his mouth as he thinks. "Why did Fury decide to keep you alive?"

She hesitates, frowning as she tilts her head back to get her wet.

"I actually don't know the answer to that question. I've been wondering that for a long time. When I ask him he can't tell me. Maybe it's because he doesn't know either. I always thought it was because he really wanted to use my power to help him with his 'team' but, the more I trained with him, the more I thought about it, and honestly, I think it's because he's sees himself in me. Maybe at one time in his life he was lost like I was. I mean, nobody even knows how he got his scar on his eye. So I suppose that's why."

Loki nods to himself. "Interesting observation. Fury is a mysterious man, is he not?"

She agrees. "Yes. You know him but you don't at the same time."

A smile spreads across her face as she swims back over to the edge and asks for her towel.

"My turn," she states as he hands it to her, looking away as she lifts herself out of the water and wraps herself in a towel.

She feels for him and when she finds him still sitting by the edge, she sits down next to him, her closeness to him almost suffocating. The wetness of her skin against his was almost uncomfortable but he doesn't move away from her.

"Who did you lose? And I know it wasn't your brother, or your... Odin. So who was it?"

Maybe Loki had assumed that she'd ask a silly question like she had earlier, or something that wasn't so personal, so when this question hit him he was stuck on what to say.

"There is no other question you want to ask?" he growls, annoyed.

"No. You seemed very upset about it earlier. Upset enough to shove my face against a cactus. Whoever it was must have meant a lot to you."

"Yes," he says quietly before he can stop himself.

The bracelet on his wrist suddenly feels like it weighs several pounds. He forces himself not to reach for it.

"Who?" she insists quietly.

He hesitates before answering. "A childhood friend."

She doesn't say anything as she waits for more.

"It happened not too long ago."

"What was their name?"

He quickly closed the door that he had so stupidly opened. "That's two questions Melanie. You were only allowed one."

She wants to reach for his hand to comfort him but she stops herself. She was dealing with the enemy here. If she went to far he could really hurt her.

"Sorry," she mumbles and stands up to go find her clothes.

She slips on the jeans and shirt quickly, the cool air nipping at her skin. Loki stands up quietly and hooks the handcuffs back onto Melanie's wrists. She frowns in disappointment but doesn't struggle against him in objection.

"How long am I going to stay in that nasty cell? It's very difficult to sleep there. I mean, I know solid rock is super comfortable but I'd really like to have something more suitable," she says as Loki leads her back to her cell.

It was strange, the way her lame, unintelligent jokes made him smile. Perhaps it was because he hadn't smiled in such a long time that it was just involuntary.

"You'll stay in the cell until you surrender and give in to my wishes. You must prove your loyalty to me, and then, and only then, will I let you leave your cage and accompany me to more suitable quarters."

She scoffs. "Well that's never going to happen."

"Then you will never leave the cage," he responds quickly, leading her through the doors and letting her go.

"You smell like stubborn-shit," she growls, irritated.

He smiles and chuckles softly. "I'm not the one refusing a very gracious offer, Melanie."

He walks out of the cell and closes the door loudly behind him. Melanie feels her way over to the bars and wraps her hands firmly around them.

"Can I ask you one more question before you leave, Loki?" Melanie calls out into the caves.

Loki doesn't hesitate. "No."

She ignores his response. "Because you're a Frost Giant, or whatever the hell you are, does that mean your weakness is heat? Like fire for example, are you susceptible to fire?"

"Are you plotting to burn me, mortal?" he asks in a humorous tone.

She snorts, "well, whatever works I suppose."

"Heat does not bother me."

"What about extreme heat? Like bombs or fires caused by accelerants?" she insists.

He crosses his arms over his chest. "I think those things you describe would burn anyone."

"But you're a God!"

He snaps at her, annoyed. "Why are you so eager to know? Feel around you! We're in a damp, dark, cold cave. Do you think you're going to start a fire in here?"

She frowns and backs away from the bars, turning her back away from him.

"The only reason I wanted to know was because the last time that I slept, I dreamt of a burning building in the middle of a forest."

He stiffens, his fingers digging into the palms of his hands.

"Is that supposed to be of some significance to me?" he plays smoothly.

With her back still turned she shrugs.

"I don't know. I've never seen it before, and your brain can't just make up images. I was just wondering if while you searched my brain for memories, you dumped some of yours?"

He grits his teeth. "I've never seen whatever you are talking about. I have no memory of a burning building."

She sits down slowly, crossing her legs and sighing as she relaxes.

"Then I suppose it was just a nightmare."

He rolls his eyes and starts to walk away when she calls out to him.

"Oh! One more thing I forgot to mention!"

He stops but doesn't turn.

"I could smell burning flesh."

* * *

Clint sits next to a comatose Natasha as the nurse switches out the medication being pumped into her body. Fury and Thor stand outside, talking quietly.

"So Loki escaped Asgardian prison, and came back here? Why?" Fury asks, his arms crossed over his chest.

There's stress in Thor's tone. "He somehow managed to let a whole race of dark elves into the kingdom and rampage Asgard with their terror and fury. When Loki left we were waging into a war, now Asgard lies in ruin with many casualties."

Fury frowns. "So I'm assuming these 'dark elves' were powerful enough to overtake the Gods themselves?"

"Of course. They are all already dead, none of them live except for their leader, Malekith, who is only half alive."

"Half alive?"

Thor nods. "Yes. Half-dead, half-alive. I believe Loki made a deal with him before returning to Asgard. Now Loki is planning to do the same thing to Midgard that he has done to our home."

"And he's got assistance from that unbeatable monster...what's his name?"

"Thanos."

"Right," Fury says annoyed. "Our two main bases have been destroyed, half of our crew has been killed or injured, I have a kidnapped agent that has disappeared, and we have to prepare for a war? We just don't have the means to do it. We need time, and if we don't have it, we will surely fail."

Tony walks up next to them, looking for something on his small handheld device.

"Don't you inject a tracker into every one of your agents?" Tony asks Fury, turning his device to face him so that he could see.

On it was a picture of Melanie with her information left below it. A red dot is placed next to her name to signal that she has a tracker injected in her body.

Fury sighs. "Yes, we inject them into all our agents, but you have to turn it on for it to work."

Tony glares. "Well what genius came up with that?"

"They have to cut it out of their hip and flip the switch to turn it on. It's a back up tracker. Usually when our agents go on missions, they have an immediate one on some item of clothing or jewelry that they're wearing."

Tony rolls his eyes and puts the device into his pocket.

"So all we have to do is wait until she finds a knife to cut herself open, blindly, if I may add, and flip the switch to turn on the tracker so we can find out where she is and send in a rescue team to grab her?"

"She's blind?" Thor asks, surprised.

"Yes," Fury answers. "Melanie is a lot more capable of doing things on her own than you may think. She'll find a way to find us and escape."

"Depending on if my brother has not killed her of course," Thor adds in.

"Of course. Let's not hope it has come to that, I know that Melanie would fight back all the way to the end."

Tony grimaces. "Well let me know if anything new happens. Oh and Thor, one question, what would make Loki want to destroy everything he loved?"

Thor looks down at the ground. "Because everyone he truly loved was already gone."

* * *

_**Hey guys! Short chapter but still important. I'm kind of starting to introduce another character into my story. This is actually one of three that I am hoping to write. This "friend" of Loki's isn't a big deal in this story but will be in the other too. I hope to start my next story soon because it's actually a prequel to this one. It will be about Loki's childhood in Asgard. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter a lot though. Melanie's and Loki's relationship will grow! :)) Review!**_


	10. Distraction

_**Ugh boo! my link didn't work again, so I'll put it on my profile. The song is so pretty I'd hate for ya'll to miss it! Thanks for all the reviews! They mean a lot. This chapter is good and was really fun to write. I hope you enjoy!**_

Loki stands at the opening of the cave, silently staring out into the empty desert laid out before him. The searing heat feels oddly good on his cool pale skin. He was intrigued by the fact that he felt this good in hot temperatures, since he was actually a frost giant. After all this time he hated what he was. He hated the frost giants and he hated himself even more for being one. But now he seemed to hate his form even more. Yes, it gave him strengths and capabilities no one else had, but it also gave him weaknesses.

Like heat, for example.

Thanos had used the extreme heat; Melanie was asking about to torture him before coming to Midgard the first time. He had bound him to a chair and placed him in a building that was aflame. Of course none of the flames ever touched him, but the heat was excruciatingly painful. Not until Loki cried the words of surrender and loyalty to Thanos did he put out the flames and let him free. Of course that was not all he had done to him to torture him into loyalty, but he didn't want to think about the other things.

Suddenly his mind is sucked into darkness and decay, the world around him suddenly cold and alone. Niflheim, the realm of the dead.

"Loki," Thanos greets with a booming voice. "How's our prisoner?"

Loki smiles devilishly. "It hasn't been very long and it seems I am close to cracking her."

"The Mistress of Death tells me her family is down here, she misses them does she not?"

"Of course. A very fragile subject for her, I believe. Using that resource I'm sure she will be with us shortly."

He laughs, emerging from the darkness to reveal his large, muscular body. "Has she learned how to fight yet?"

"Her powers cause her weakness, she dies every second that she uses her...power. As for her combat fighting, I'm not sure how well Fury taught her. I think she tries to hide her abilities so as to surprise me and catch me off guard in the future. I shall test her as soon as I can," Loki says, clasping his hands together.

"I expect her ready soon. The dark elves are ready to attack Midgard now, they only wait for my command."

"Well they will have to be patient, Thanos. These matters take time."

"Time is something you don't have very much of Loki," Thanos growls angrily. "Remember the power I have over you. If you're not ready soon, I will send these dead beasts down to Midgard and have them kill you with the rest of them, understood?"

Loki swallows quickly. "Of course I understand."

"There's not much more I need you for, Laufeyson. I can dispose of you whenever I please," Thanos threatens, turning his back on him and receding back into the darkness.

"And remember if she doesn't cooperate, kill her."

Loki is sucked back to the opening of the cave, the brightness of the sun blinding him temporarily. He throws a hand in front of his eyes and winces, turning his face away from the desert.

He sighs, the pain in his right temple creeping back as his body cringes against the heat. Only a few minutes ago did the heat feel good to him.

Why did he have to be this disgusting monster?

He retreats back to the cave and to the comforting darkness, the sound of metal clanging against metal catching his attention.

He walks over to the cage where he watches Melanie pace back and forth behind the bars, hitting her handcuffs against the bars as she passes by them.

"Are you doing that just to be annoying, or are you trying to get my attention?" he calls out to her, leaning against the wall of the cave.

She stops for a moment and then starts again, her back facing him.

"Do you want to know what you are?" she calls back to him, ignoring his comment.

"No," he responds, humor in his voice.

"It was a rhetorical question," she retorts quickly. "Do you know what a whited sepulcher is?"

He chuckles quietly to himself. "Is this another rhetorical question?"

She turns to face him but doesn't walk forward, a smile is spread across her face.

"A whited sepulcher is a person who is inwardly corrupt or wicked but outwardly is professedly virtuous or holy. In other words, a hypocrite."

He raises his eyebrows. "You think I'm what you just described?"

"No," she laughs. "You're the opposite."

"I see," he says slyly, walking over to the bars of her cell. "So that makes me outwardly corrupt or wicked, but inwardly virtuous and holy?"

She nods, the smile still on her small face.

"I'm glad you've have time to think about me for so long to come up with this," he comments, wrapping his fingers around the bars closest to her face.

"However that makes _you_ the whited sepulcher. Everyday you hide from whatever it is inside you that makes certain subjects so fragile. You may act like one of Fury's saints, but oh, you're so far from a saint I wouldn't be surprised if he left you out here to die," he ends his short speech in a harsh whisper, her smile gone form her face and her lips drawn tight.

"I may not be a good person but I'm better than you," she snarls softly.

He laughs, pulling his face away from the bars. "How can I try to make you open your eyes to see what is really at stake here?"

She snorts. "How ironic."

He walks over to the door and unlocks it, stepping inside and touching her shoulder to signal his arrival. He takes her hands and unlocks the handcuffs, pulling them off her gently.

"That feels a whole hell of a lot better," she sighs, rubbing her raw wrists.

He takes her by the arm and leads her out into the middle of the cave, a crack in the ceiling letting a ray of light shine down on their faces.

"I want you to fight me, right now," Loki orders, taking one step back away from her. "No weapons, just hand to hand combat."

She frowns. "I believe you have a little bit of an unfair advantage here, bud."

He smiles wickedly. "Just take your best swing. Pretend I'm the one who killed your family. Pretend I'm _Red Lemony. _What would you do to me?"

She glares, her dull eyes staring into his chest. Finally she gives a huff and swings toward his voice, but he easily dodges, side stepping to the left. He chuckles and she swings a fist toward him again, missing as he hops backwards.

"Come on, you've got to try harder than that. I've killed your little son. Doesn't that make you angry?"

She roars and kicks at him, grazing his legs as he slips by. She follows the sound of his movement this time and goes in for another punch but he catches her fist and twists her arm around, yanking her against his chest as she cries out in pain.

"That was weak Melanie!" he snarls angrily, his grip on her arm tightening.

"What the _fuck_ do you think I'm supposed to do?" she screams. "I'm blind, remember?!"

He shoves his face next to her ear. "Stop bluffing Melanie, I know you can still fight well. Fury taught you how after he saved your life. You don't have to pretend your some weak mortal girl that's helpless against me. Now _fight _me damnit!"

She grits her teeth and yells as she throws her head back. He dodges, remembering last time when she had cracked him in the nose. But she was quicker this time, and easily twisted out of his grasp and swung a fist into his gut. He grunted as he quickly moved in and out of the way of her next attempted hits.

"Use the sound of my movements!" he commands her as she lunges for him again. "Rely on your other senses to help you identify where I am!"

She stops for a moment, her fists up in defensive position, her breath labored.

"You're attacking blindly, you need to focus on what your target is by using what you hear and sometimes even what you smell."

"Well I guess it's a good thing you stink then?" she jokes without humor, her face serious and determined.

She lunges for him again and this time grabs his arm as he tries to slip away. She yanks him towards her and tries to kick him in the groin but he swiftly dodges, laughing as she hits him hard in the arm.

"Don't be naughty," he teases as she swings again.

This time though he swings her around and sticks his legs out, causing her to fall on her back, her short cry echoing through the cave. All her breath comes out at once and she arches her back in pain, moaning as she rolls to her side.

"I still don't think you're trying your hardest," he comments slowly walking over to her shaking body.

"How was it that I killed her husband and child? I took a gun and shot them until their blood was painted all over the walls. A masterpiece is what I considered it. _Genius._"

As soon as he steps next to her body she whips her legs around and trips him, causing him to fall on his ass with a loud thump. And he doesn't have time to react before she's on top of him, pinning him to the floor as she nails three punches onto his face. Then of course, him being stronger than her, flips them over so that he's on top of her, pinning her arms to the ground.

He laughs, shaking his head, not expecting her next move. She suddenly shoves her knee up between his legs and right in his crotch, causing him to gasp in pain as she throws him off of her.

Quickly she's back on top of him, this time her hands wrapped around his neck as strange gasps escape her throat.

He grunts, struggling to breathe as he gathers back his pride and wraps his long fingers around her wrists.

"Stop," he whispers hoarsely as she squeezes his neck harder, tears streaming down her cheeks.

He repeats himself before prying her hands from his neck and holding them tightly as she sits on top of him, soft sobs wracking her small body.

He breathes deeply, collecting his breath as he watches her fall apart in front of him. He now knew this was no bluff to try and beat him again. This was real. He had cracked her. He was surprised at how easy it was, but maybe he shouldn't have been. When it comes to the death of someone you love, it's easy to break anyone.

And suddenly he's sitting up and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her shuddering body against him, trying to make her stop. She buries her head into his shoulder and wraps her arms tightly around him, holding him there in a tight embrace. He doesn't know why he's doing this. Maybe because the feel of her warm body pressed up against his so snuggly reminded him of a younger version of himself, the version of himself he enjoyed and missed. It was a time before he found out his true parentage, before the torture and the pain, before all the death. In that very second, with her in his arms, he felt innocent again, like there were no worries on his mind.

She pulls away slowly, leaning back so that she's facing him, her eyes raw and red. Then ever so slowly, she reaches up with her hands and places her fingers on his forehead. By very lightly brushing his smooth skin, she lets the tips of her fingers travel inch by inch down his face, letting her touch see the face she could not. They travel over his eyes and they flutter shut by her touch. They travel down his sharp cheekbones and to his sharply angled chin. She lets her fingers stop there, rotating her hand around so she grazes his lips with her thumbs. He had small lips, currently drawn in a tight line.

He watches her silently as she imagines him, her eyes closing as she draws a picture in her mind. As her thumbs graze his lips he parts them slightly, sucking in a slow, silent breath as her fingers linger there.

And then, ever so slowly, she leans her head down, and places the lightest of kisses on his lips. Barely a brush but yet full of so much emotion.

She pulls back, removing her hands from his face.

"Why did you do that?" he whispers so quietly to her he could barely hear himself.

Her brows twitch as if they want to frown.

"I..I don't know," she whispers just as quietly back.

Then she quickly climbs off his lap and stands up, trying to hide the red blush that creeps up her cheeks.

"Take me back to my cell please," she requests in a more confident tone.

He stands up slowly before leading her back to her cage. They say nothing to each other as they walk. He then lets her go in the cage and walks out without shutting the door behind him, leaving her handcuffs on the table near the cell. She stands frozen in the middle of the cage until she no longer hears his footsteps.

"Loki?" she calls out into the cave.

And when she gets no response, she pulls the dagger that she stole from Loki's waist belt out of her sleeve and grips it tightly in her hand, a smile of success slipping onto her face.

Loki teleports himself to an empty alley way in New York City, the last place he saw before being sent back up to Asgard for punishment. This was also the same place he tried to take over the last time he came, and it felt strange being here just to walk through the streets.

He changed his features so as to not be spotted by anyone who might recognize him, especially SHEILD, who he knew was scouring every camera looking for their lost agent.

Melanie. Such a strange mortal. She did strange things to him, that was for sure. Yes, he had successfully cracked her and made her break down into tears, but why did she feel the need to kiss him like she did? And why did he feel that odd, tingling emotion shoot through his body like a bullet? He did not love her, and he most certainly didn't like her. But did he? He at least enjoyed her company for the while where he wasn't slaughtering everyone in sight. But he knew he couldn't get attached, if the inevitable were to happen and she refused to follow him. She would have to die.

He stepped out onto the street, his nice black suit and green scarf, matching well with his short light brown hair. The sea of people weaved around him, some talking on their Midgardian devices and others just plowing through, their eyes on the ground and their minds elsewhere. It was like nothing had happened since his attack. The people carried on like nothing had gone wrong and alien attacks were something that happened everyday.

Humans, so unpredictable.

He began his stroll down the sidewalk as the thousands of people brushed past him. As he walked he kept thinking about what had just happened, why she had done it, and how he felt about it. Once second she was cringing in fear from him and the next she was kissing him. If she was bluffing, she did a damn well good job.

At that moment Loki looks up and spots a camera on the nearby building, pointed down at his direction, almost like it was staring at him. Smiling candidly, he lets his hair change back to the way it usually is, long and sleek black as he stares at the camera. He then holds up his arm and points to his wrist, alluding to the time before taking a single finger and sliding it horizontally across his throat. Still smiling he tips his head and continues walking down the street away from the camera. He knew the SHEILD agents had been watching.

He then teleports himself to a place he had never been. A quiet neighborhood street in a place the Midgardians called "Iowa." The streets were lined with cars, tall street lanterns, and houses on each side that were large and old.

He walked down to the end of the street to the largest house, the dark interior suggesting that no one was home.

He walked up the empty driveway and stepped up onto the large porch. He looked both ways down each end of the wooded over-hang before using his magic to open the locked door.

Loki stepped inside and smiled when he saw the bare walls and few furniture. The house of a blind man, or in this case, woman. She didn't need fancy decorations because she would never be able to see them.

He makes his way through each part of the house before ascending the stairs and making his way to her bedroom. It was a large room, with a large bed set in the middle, completely made and untouched. He walked over to the window and looked out into the darkness, the view of a large canyon and a river below made him smile. Another gorgeous view she would never see.

He then spotted something on her nightstand, besides a glass of stagnant water. A picture frame. How odd it was to see it sitting there, the dust collecting on the glass. It was a picture of a man, a woman, and a small child, all of whom he recognized. The man being her dead husband, the woman being Melanie, and the small child, her dead son, Charlie. But there was something itching his curiosity about this. Something wasn't right about this, about everything.

And then something clicked. Maybe it was the fact that this picture had so blatantly reminded him of her love for her husband and family, or maybe it was the fact that the picture was an attempt to distract viewers from the plain walls of the house. He knew now why something felt off. She didn't kiss him because she loved him, or because she felt attracted to him. She kissed him to distract him from something. What was that something? He didn't know. But he sure as hell was going to find out.

Switching back to his Asgardian attire, he teleported himself back the caves and almost choked when he was hit by the strong smell of blood.

He walked slowly to the cages, placing his footsteps so softly that the only sound he could hear was the sound of this soft breathing. He stepped into the opening of the room where the cage was and froze, watching has Melanie pointed one of his daggers at him threateningly, her other hand pressed agains the side of her hip that was bleeding badly.

He reached for his dagger on his side and found it missing. He smiles and laughs without any humor.

"Clever girl, aren't you?" he comments, walking slowly towards her.

"You stay where you are, Loki!" she orders, shaking the dagger in her hand in attempt to be threatening.

He stops, putting his hands in the air. "Is this your attempt to escape my wrath? Killing yourself?"

She snorts. "Not quite."

She then removes her hand from her hip and holds up something in her hand. It was small, probably black but at that moment was covered in her blood. It had a small switch on it's side and a round, flashing red light that would briefly illuminate her fingers.

"Every SHEILD agent has an emergency tracker implanted in their hip when inducted into the field. By flipping this switch, I have just notified every SHEILD base, and Fury personally where I am and everywhere you take me from now on."

"How long ago did you turn it on?"

"Ten minutes ago," she answer confidently, still pointing the dagger at his chest.

He smiles. "Well congratulations to you Melanie, you tricked the trickster himself. Very clever move you did there. You used a very powerful distraction to get what you needed. Oh your satanic impulses grow stronger every day. I fear it won't be long until you decide Fury's idiotic ways of doing things begin to bore you and you decide to join me once more."

"Get on your knees!" she yells at him, putting her hand firmly back on her bleeding side.

"If I were you I'd get that bandaged up before you bleed to death," he comments nonchalantly as he gets on his knees, his hands still in the air.

"They'll take care of me as soon as they get here, which should be any minute."

"How do you know they're even still alive?" he snarls.

And suddenly there's a muffled thumping above them that grows louder every second.

Melanie smiles as Loki looks to the ceiling.

"You're only getting yourself killed, Melanie," he advices in a cautionary tone. "If you leave with them and let them kill me, Thanos will come back and make you die in the slowest, most painful way you can imagine. He'll pick out your weaknesses and manipulate them against you. Believe me, by doing this you are only ensuring your death."

"Well I'd rather die in my comfortable house than in a hard, freezing cold cave."

He puts his hands down. "I suppose he was going to kill you anyway."

The thumping gets louder and he suddenly sees lights begin to illuminate the dark cave.

"This won't be the end, Loki," she assures as she leans against the table to help support herself.

He laughs, an evil smile spread across his face. "Oh no, this is only the beginning."


	11. Everyone Needs Saving

**_I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to get this up! I've been so busy lately. High school is a pain! I hope you're enjoying this story, and I once again encourage you to read my other story that goes along with this, The Protector. Thanks for all the reviews! I love it! Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)_**

Fury paces back and forth in his small, temporary office. In a matter of a few days they had lost almost everything they had so carefully worked to achieve, including relationships with allies and enemies. It seemed as though the time and effort Fury had put in to pull all that was fragile together, had been laid to complete waste. The lives of those who had helped him were lost, and now he was stuck with only a few faithful remaining, who seemed just about as lost as he was. They needed his leadership, but at the moment, he had no idea what to do or tell them. Several of his best were in critical, his team of "Avengers" was with no hope, and the one person he had promised to keep hidden, was now taken captive. He had utterly failed, not only his followers, but himself included.

"I don't believe Loki has killed her. If he took her, that means he needed her for something," Thor says as he watches Fury pace.

Fury doesn't answer him.

"I don't know what he's waiting for, or why he has her, but I know we still have a chance," Thor tries again, taking a step forward.

"So he makes a show in New York to say what? They we aren't trying hard enough? That if we don't hurry he's going to kill her?" Fury snaps.

Tony Stark enters the small office out of breath.

"Commander, you're gonna want to come see this," he huffs.

Fury turns and is about to head out when the computer on his desk begins to beep wildly. He looks down, his heart leaping with joy as he reads it. Melanie had turned on her tracker. She had done it!

"The coordinates?" Fury asks.

"Arizona, in a desert between Phoenix and Flagstaff. There are lots of lava caves spread out across that desert. It sounds like he's been hiding her in there," Tony answers.

"That's close," Fury says excitedly.

"I'll get our team together."

"No."

Both Thor and Tony stare at him in bewilderment.

"No?" Tony questions smartly.

"No," Fury repeats firmly. "I will not risk having any more of you killed or injured. I'm sending in a specialized extraction team. You're staying here."

"Oh because we're not specialized enough?" Tony spits angrily.

"Fury, you know better than this. No mortal can stand up to Loki's powers. You need us, we can fight him, they cannot. He will be prepared. And if Thanos is still with him, you'll have no hope," Thor adds in.

Fury begins to shake his head as he picks up his phone to dial a number.

Thor raises his voice. "We are the only chance of getting Melanie out alive and safe!"

Fury ignores the two men as he talks quickly and quietly over the phone, ordering the dispatch.

"You're making a mistake, Fury," Tony warns.

Fury slams down the phone. "Wait for the team to get the place secured and then you can go, but until then, you're staying here!"

"They're never going to be able to get the place secured!"

"And even if we succeed, Loki could easily teleport himself, and maybe even Melanie somewhere else, without the tracker."

Fury rubs his temples.

"Then what would you have me do then? Send in Dr. Banner to tear everything apart and stop Loki from leaving?"

"If Thanos is there, the Hulk could slow him down."

"Fury, we need to leave now! We have to get there before they do! They'll all be killed if we don't do something!" Tony says furiously.

He stares at them for a moment, trying to decide.

"Do you want to bring Melanie back alive?"

Fury hesitates, then nods. "Fine, go. Tony you go first and do an aerial view. Then, you can bring in the Hulk."

They begin to run out of the door when the telephone rings. Fury immediately answers.

"Report."

"Fury sir," the man on the other end of the line says, "there's nothing here."

Fury stands up straighter. "What do you mean 'nothing here'?"

"The caves you've sent us too have seemed to collapse. On a few of the rocks there appears to be powder from an explosion, like someone blew this place up."

His face pales. "Is that all you found?"

"No sir, there are bodies as well."

"How many?"

"Several, but most of them are buried beneath the rocks. We found the tracker, but we haven't found Agent Walker's body. We believe it could be somewhere in the rubble."

"What other bodies are there? Loki's?"

"No, his body isn't present, but there are at least ten, and sir, they were the uniforms of HYDRA."

Fury is silent as Thor and Tony run back in, suited up.

"I'll be there shortly," Fury says as he hangs up the phone.

Fury turns to the men, their faces full of curiosity.

"Commander?"

"Agent Walker is down."

* * *

"Oh no, this is only the beginning," Loki says, smiling evilly.

Suddenly he jumps to his feet and has Melanie trapped in his arms before she can react. He has stolen the dagger from her hand and has it placed against her throat as his other hand is pressed firmly against her bleeding side. She cries out in pain as soon as he makes contact.

"You think yourself _smart_," he whispers in her ear as she whimpers. "The only thing you've done is insure that you and all your friends are killed, and personally, I wouldn't call that smart."

"And what if I told you this was the plan?" she grunts, "What if I wanted you to kill me?"

He loosens his grip on her for a moment, taken aback at what she said.

"That's the difference between you and me," she continues. "You're right, I may not be a saint, but unlike you, I'm willing to die knowing I stood for what I believed in, not what someone forced me to believe or become. I don't believe you were always a bad person, I just think you fell because you decided to live instead of die."

And perhaps in that very moment, in his sudden rage of anger and pain, he might of slit her throat and killed her, but seeing the fact that they were now being surrounded by men in black suits with guns, he stayed his hand. Small red dots painted his head and Melanie's chest.

"Take another step forward and your precious _agent _will taste the delicacies of death," Loki threatens.

A tall man steps into the entrance, his face slightly hidden from the shadows. It was not who Loki had expected.

"We have been watching your movements for a while now, Loki, and it seems we have similar interests," the man says smoothly.

Loki presses the dagger harder against Melanie's throat. She whimpers.

"You can kill the girl. She is of no use to us, or anyone it seems. I'm here simply to say, HYDRA can help. Join us, and taking over this planet is one step easier."

Loki contemplates as he scans the small half-circle of men in front of him.

"What makes you think you'll be of any use to me?" Loki asks with mock curiosity.

The man snorts. "Is it necessary for me to bring up what happened in New York?"

Loki chuckles darkly. "A trial run, simply. Now I have all the resources I need. I do not believe your help will be needed."

"Then what will you do about the team of supers?"

Loki smiles, motioning to the dying girl in his arms. "I think I've already gotten that taken care of."

"You'd be a fool if you did not accept my offer," the man warns.

Melanie's heart pounds in her chest and she's surprised when suddenly the wound on her side goes numb and the warmth from the blood disappears. Had he just healed her?

"I think the only fool I see is the one trying to bargain with a god," Loki retorts smartly, right before he releases Melanie, swinging her behind him as he hurtles his dart into the chest of the man in front of him.

Melanie crashes to the ground behind Loki's feet as bullets begin to fly. The firing of the guns is so deafeningly loud she curls into a ball and covers her ears in pain.  
Loki deflects the bullets easily as he places himself protectively in front of Melanie so no bullets would hit her. The man scrambles from off the ground, pulling the dagger out of his chest and staggering toward the entrance of the cave.  
In three swift moves, Loki pulls the rest of his daggers out and throws them violently into each of the men surrounding him. They drop instantly to the ground, pleasing Loki. After they all fall, he dashes out to the entrance where he hears the chopping of helicopter blades. He covers his eyes against the sun and the whirlwind of dust and sand that sting his bare skin.  
The helicopter rises and Loki watches, once again wishing he had his scepter. It turns to face him as it rises and moves away, and Loki suddenly realizes what it's about to do. It seems to happen in sort of a slow motion. He hears the shot, not like the popping of a gun, but a deeper pop, one of something larger and more potent.

He spins on his heel and sprints back into the caves.

"Melanie!" he screams as he throws himself on top of her, just as the missile explodes in the caves.

He immediately teleports them to the first place that pops into his mind, but not before some of the flames and heat from the explosion licked up his back. He cries out in pain as they land in soft dirt, the darkness of he cool night easing the burning on his back.  
Melanie gasps for breath as she rolls out from underneath him. She has no clue where they are. The air smells of wet crops and freshly tilled dirt. This smell was not unfamiliar to her.

"Where are we? What happened?" she gasped.

Loki tries to pull himself into a sitting position. They were in the middle of a field, and in the distance, a small, white, wooden house sat, it's porch lights off and windows darkened.

"Do you remember this place?" he says quietly, also a little out of breath.

She takes a deep breath and concentrates. When she finally realizes, her face pales, and she swallows.

"My grandparents old house..." she trailed off.

He begins to stand up, pulling her with him, but as he does so, the pain streaks up his back, and he falls slightly forward with a pained grunt.

"What's wrong?" she asks, concerned as she wraps an arm around his waist.

"Don't touch me," he growls, trying to pull himself away from her.

He doesn't succeed though. He begins to pull away and suddenly he has no strength left in his legs. The painful memories of his heat induced torture begin to flood his mind. He collapses to the ground with a sharp cry of agony.

"Loki!" she cries, falling beside him. She searches for his body with her hands until she finds him.

"I don't need your help," he spits between clenched teeth.

She glares as she searches his body for injuries. Even though he jerks away from her touch, she knows exactly what's wrong when she feels it. His back. No longer is it covered in his thin armor, instead it has burned away, and she can feel his soft, wet, burned flesh beneath her fingers. He screams as her fingers brush it.

"We have to get you help," she exclaims softly.

"Leave me alone, woman!" he yells at her, trying to drag himself away.

She grips his arm tightly. "No, Loki. You saved my life. Now it's time for me to save yours."

She didn't know why she needed to save him, after everything he had done to her and her friends, but here she was, making a decision before thinking about it. But she didn't have time. He had just saved her from HYDRA, he had saved her from that explosion.

She wraps her arms around him and makes an angry groan as she forces his heavy body to his feet.

"Lead me to the house," she orders as they stagger forward, his whole body leaning against hers for support.

He's sweating profusely. It's dripping down his face, and every step that send a jolt of pain up his spine made the sweat droplets come faster and heavier. HIs vision becomes blurry and his breath staggered.

"Help! Is someone there? We need help! Please!" she calls out as she hears a dog bark in the distance.

The porch light flickers on as an old man in overalls steps out onto the porch, a shotgun in hand.

"Who goes there?" he shouts.

As they make it to the sidewalk of the house, they collapse, both from pain and exhaustion.

"Please, help us," she gasps pleadingly, "he's badly burned and it will take too long to get to a hospital. Please, if he's not treated he will die."

The old man drops the gun and stumbles down the porch to help them into the house.

"Take him, take him," she says quickly as the man helps them stand.

"Can you see?" he grunts as he quite literally drags them up the steps.

She shakes her head. "No."

Loki moans in pain.

"I have burn ointment, but that's it," the old man says, pulling Loki into the house.

"It will suffice," she says as they hoist Loki onto a long wooden dining table. They hastily scoot the chairs away. The man searches frantically for the ointment.

"My name is Melanie, and this my... boyfriend, John," she stutters quickly as she begins to peel the rest of the loose clothes from Loki's back.

He moans again, attempting to get up but she holds him down.

"Dave, my name's Dave. Here's the ointment, but I have something else that can fix _that _problem," he says as he watches her try and hold him down.

"Get your hands _off _me," Loki growls angrily. "I am a god!"

She tries to hold him down. "It would help, yes."

Dave hobbles to one of the cabinets and pulls out a small black bottle.

"I use this sometimes to put my cows to sleep if the wound we have to fix is too painful. It takes only a few seconds. Just a few drops into some water and he'll be out for a while."

Melanie nods.

"Loki," she says, pulling him up so he could sit up, "drink this."

She holds the cup to his lips. He doesn't resist as soon as he feels the sweet taste of water on his lips. He takes a long swig then pulls away. His sharp green eyes scour her face.

"I will not be baby fed by weak and useless mortals," he growls as he tries once again to stand up. "Get out of my way!"

Dave comes over in an attempt to hold him down. He struggles against him.

"I am a king! You are not allowed to handle me-" but he doesn't get to finish his sentence because something makes him stop.

He freezes and his eyes flicker to Melanie's face with an expression of betrayal.

"How dare you," he whispers before his eyes roll to the back of his head and he collapses onto the table.

Both Melanie and Dave give a deep breath.

"Let's flip him over so we can treat his back," she sighs.

Dave nods as they strip the rest of his top half of clothes off and flip him onto his stomach.

"So John believes he's a king?" Dave asks curiously as he begins to spread the ointment onto his back.

"Like you wouldn't imagine," she grumbles, gripping the edge of the table tightly.

"Are you hurt too?" Dave asks, suddenly worried.

She shakes her head quickly. "No, no. Just tired. Weak."

"What happened? Where did you two come from?"

Without thinking, Melanie blurts out the first thing that comes into her head.

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	12. Waking Up

It's a strange world Loki finds himself dreaming in. Sometimes he is plagued with the nightmares of torture, pain, and death, and other times he is simply trapped in a world of white, with nothing but the sound of a woman's soft voice singing.

_Loki._

He doesn't quite remember how he got here, but the peace here invites him to linger longer. All the stress and the worries he had once suffered with, had disappeared. Now that he was in this dream like state, he could almost relax.

_It's my turn to save your life._

He shudders at the sound of her soft, harsh voice. He hated the fact that he enjoyed to hear it. Was she the one causing him to float in this vast space of emptiness?

And then suddenly, a change of scenery.

He was laying face down in soft sand and he could hear the sound of the ocean waves licking the shore behind him. Across from him lay Melanie in the exact same position, on her stomach, face turned towards his, her arm halfway stretched out in his direction. She stares at him with deep brown eyes, but they had no life in them. They were dead eyes staring back at him.

"Melanie," he hears himself say.

He slowly stretches his hand to grab hers, leaving a trail in the sand behind it.

"Mel, it's going to be ok, don't be afraid," he says again, softly, pleadingly.

Her hand is ice cold in his, and as he looks down at his hand, he sees that he has changed to that freakish color of blue. Immediately he lets go of her hand, afraid to hurt her, but as he does so, she disappears.

"Melanie!" he cries out, trying to pull himself up from the sand.

_Loki! Help! Loki help me!_

He hears her voice and he's running down the beach, running down the shore line, the water splashing up on his clothes. And then the nightmare begins.

It's dark, he's surrounded by darkness. In front of him is a large barn, and it's burning violently. The heat is so extreme, it burns his skin, even from where he is standing far away. He backs away, covering his face as fear and agony swarm him. The air is thick with smoke and the smell of burning flesh. It chokes him as tears stream down his cheeks. His back begins to burn and the pain is growing every second.

"Help me," he mutters helplessly, "please Melanie, help me."

_It's my turn to save your life._

A blast of white in his vision and suddenly he's awake.

It's quiet with only the sound of fluttering curtains from the open window across the room. It smells of honeysuckle and the stuffy heat of the hot sun baking old wood. A bird chirps softly outside.  
He tries to move when he realizes he's lying face down on a bed with his hands bound to the headboard in front of him. He notices his lack of a shirt, and the different kind of pants that rest loosely around his waist.

He pulls weakly on the rope on his wrists, quickly acknowledging the white hot pain that shoots up his spine.

"I wouldn't move too much if I were you," a voice says from behind him.

He freezes, quickly swallowing the relief he felt from the sound of her voice. He turns his head around as far as he can so he can see her. She's leaning against the door frame in a soft pink blouse and jeans. For a moment he can't respond, as he stares at her, making sure this wasn't still a dream.

"Why have you bound me to this bed? And where are my clothes?" he is finally able to spit out angrily, as he struggles with the rope again, furious he can't break it.

She laughs, and he likes the sound of it. She walks slowly towards him, reaching for the bed for assistance.

"It does look suspicious doesn't it? Oh how vulnerable you are right now. Tsk tsk, I'd hate to waste such a wonderful opportunity," she says in a strange tone he did not recognize. It sent shivers up his spine.

But he snaps out of it quickly.

"Just untie me and give me my armor," he growls.

She begins to untie the rope. "I don't know how much your back will like you putting on all that heavy leather. You aren't completely healed, but I suppose you could change the pants. They were Dale's, and they seemed much more comfortable than your previous attire."

"Ah, the human. And how did you handle him?"

She sighs. "I sent him on a vacation far away. He won't be back for a while. He was also more then willing to leave his house in my care, after I told him it was my grandparents that he had bought the house from. As for your injury and our situation, I do admit, it wasn't my best. I told him we were walking home from a dress-up party, we were a little tipsy and had some fireworks with us. I told him we had small accident and you got burned and the nearest hospital wasn't for miles so we saw his house and... well the story goes from there."

He gives her a funny look as she pulls the rope from his wrists. "And he believed that?"

She snorts. "Of course not, but I don't think he really wanted to know the truth."

"So he helped you sedate me, strip me of my clothes, and then bind me to a bed? Without any questions asked?" he asks as he slowly sits up, trying to swallow the pain.

"Well yes, he did help me sedate you, clean your burn wounds, and carry you up the stairs to this bedroom, but I took care of the clothes stripping part."

A smile spreads across her face and he could feel his face once again heating up. Why did she do this to him so often?

She laughs. "Don't worry though, I can't see, remember?"

He rolls his eyes, annoyed at her jokes. "That still doesn't explain why you tied me to the bed."

"Oh, well we didn't at first, but after the first couple of days you began thrashing quite wildly in your sleep. In fact, you broke Dale's alarm clock, one of his drinking glasses, and his lamp."

He looks at her in bewilderment. "The first couple of days?"

"Yeah, you've been out for almost a week now. I suppose Dale gave you a little but too much of that sleep syrup, but I also think your body was just so tired. When was the last time you had a good nights rest?"

He stares at her pale face, noticing the dark circles under her eyes.

"I could ask the same for you," he retorts as he tries to stand.

But it's too much all too fast, and he finds himself falling forward to the wooden floor. She catches him, careful not to touch his back.

"I told you," she exclaims harshly, "your body hasn't fully healed!"

"I don't care," he growls through gritted teeth, pushing her off him.

She steps back. "I wanted to thank you for saving me."

He limps forward to a chair where his clothes sit, folded neatly in a pile.

"Don't thank me," he mutters, "I didn't do it for your sake."

He leans heavily against the chair as his back screams in agony. He takes a few deep breaths as his vision goes fuzzy for a moment.

"Well that makes a ton of sense, coming from the person who claimed I meant absolutely nothing to them and that if I died nobody would care," she says sarcastically.

"The only reason I did that was because Thanos needs you alive," he insists irritatedly.

She scoffs. "Oh, still sucking up to him?"

"That's enough!" he snaps angrily at her, grabbing his heavy armor and pulling it on his burning shoulders.

Her jaw clamps shut as she realizes the smartest move would be not to antagonize him further.

"Remember, you're still my prisoner," he adds harshly, his back still turned to her.

"I was coming up here to put more ointment on your back, but I guess you don't seem to need it. It's not like I can see if the wound is healing or not," she says quietly before quickly leaving the room.

He can hear the brush of her fingers against the wall as she leaves. Sighing, he spots a mirror in the bathroom connected to his room. He stiffly walks to where he can see himself. Lowering the armor back off his shoulders, he turns so he can see his back. It pains him as he admires the red, swollen, uneven skin on his back. He tries to heal it but nothing happens. He glares angrily into the mirror, trying to make it work, but nothing changes. Slamming his fists down on the sink he shouts incoherently before suddenly he's falling and crashing onto the bathroom floor. The pain engulfs him, and he once again is sucked into a deep pit of darkness.

* * *

Melanie had known he wouldn't be awake long. That's why she waited in the bedroom at the other end of the hall till she heard the satisfying crash. It almost felt good that he was having so much trouble. She was the strong one now, and he was the one that was the prisoner to the pain. Only she could help him, and even after everything he had done to her, here she was, coaxing him back to health. She laughed at herself. What would the other Melanie have thought of what she was doing? Feeding the enemy. Flirting with the enemy. But hey, this had been the most fun she'd had in years.

It took all of her strength to haul Loki back onto his bed. He surely weighed a ton, not to mention all that leather he loved to wear. She pulled off the rest of his armor, which this time was only his shirt, and rolled him so he was lying on his stomach. With her arms outstretched in front of her, she searched for the burn ointment, and when she found it, she rubbed it gently onto his rough, uneven back.

Once she was done, she set the ointment on the small bedside table next to her and sighed heavily. She sat for a moment, contemplating what to do next. Suddenly she stood, placed both hands on each end of the bedside table, and slide it a few feet away from the bed.

She smiled to herself. "Let's see if you can try and break the air this time."

Melanie walked over to the side of the bed. She slowly brushed her fingers against his soft skin, stopping when she found his hand. She gave it a small squeeze, noticing the bracelet she had passed over. Perhaps the person he lost had given him this. Perhaps that is why he still wore it, in remembrance of those he cared about that had died. Perhaps if those bad things hadn't of happened, he wouldn't be the tormented soul he was today. He might have even been good. He might have even been trying to save the world instead of ending it.

She holds his hand tightly in hers as she begins to cry.

**_Hope you enjoyed! Rate and review (:_**


	13. Changing

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When Loki awoke, he found himself face down on the bed again, except this time without the ropes bound around his wrists. The room is darker however, as the soft glow of the sun setting glows through the open window. The smell of something sweet hits his nostrils and he's suddenly aware of how hungry he was.

The bed groans softly as he pulls himself up and sits on the edge of the bed. The pain in his back is still there, but not as crippling. He spots some clothes folded neatly on a chair in front of him. He doesn't like the idea of wearing clothes that belonged to a dirty old mortal, but they seemed much more comfortable on his back then his heavy leather. It was his own damn fault he was in this situation. He should have been more aware of what was going on around him. He had known that HYDRA existed, yet he had no idea how they had found him before Fury and his team had. Or maybe it was solely himself that was to be blamed. What if he was losing perception? What if the effects of the tesseract were wearing off again? He had already once gone cold turkey without it after the first attempt of taking over Midgard. This time though, it's effects seemed to be fading on their own. But something had to cause it. Was it Melanie?

_Mel._

He stands up slowly and shuffles weakly over to the chair, pulling the loose white shirt over his shoulders. He was stiff, and the movement seemed to awaken some of the burning pain, but it was tolerable. He still wore the loose fitting pants around his waist and figured it would be too much of a pain to try and change them.

He walks stiffly to the open door and peers down the darkened hallway. Empty. He steps out and walks quietly down the hall, looking into each room for signs of life. Nothing. Most were simply empty bedrooms. One in particular wasn't made up neatly. The walls were pink with yellow flowers. There were some spots on the wall that were darker then others, shaped in rectangles were objects must have been. The bed was unmade and a half empty glass of water sat stagnant on the bedside table. This must be the room where Melanie slept. The last room at the end of the hall. The farthest away from his.

He hear's a clang from down stairs that catches his attention. He rounds the corner to find the stairs, and a light at the bottom. Grabbing ahold of the railing tightly, he makes his way down the wooden stairs, cringing whenever he hit a squeaky spot.

As soon as he makes it to the bottom, he sees her. Her back is to him as she stands in front of the kitchen sink. She's not moving and he realizes that she knows he's there, even if she couldn't see him. He steps fully into the light and stops, waiting for her to move.

"I know you're there, Loki," she says finally, her voice unusually bitter.

The edges of his lips twitch into a smile. "I suppose it's harder to sneak up on a blind man then I assumed."

He then spots a knife, it's silver blade gleaming in the yellow light, and her knuckles, white, as she strongly grips the handle. For some reason this bothers him deeply. Did she think he was going to hurt her? She was scared enough that she had a knife in her hand, prepared to fight back if necessary. Perhaps it was the way he acted when he awoke last time. She was his prisoner after all. Why would she have trusted him so quickly?

She turns slightly in his direction, quickly hiding the knife from view. "Remember I can hear every creak and moan in this house."

He nods as he makes slow, blatant steps towards her. She stiffens automatically.

"You decided not to bind me to the bed again," he says casually, trying to calm her nerves.

"Well I didn't want you to break the headboard."

He cocks his head to the side. "Why would I do that?"

"To get free."

"I would've just asked."

She snorts. "You're not exactly the, 'asking for help' kind, if I remember right."

He frowns. "Maybe you're right."

"I'm almost always right."

He watches as her shoulders begin to sag from their stiffened position.

"You're probably starving," she says quickly, turning quickly away from him as he draws close. He hears the knife clang loudly as she drops it in the sink.

She opens the tall white box and he can feel a small brush of cool air. She pulls out a plate with food on it and sets it carefully on the counter.

"I made some warmed up chicken with green beans and mashed potatoes. I wasn't sure what you used to eat in Asgard, and I'm sure it was a lot nicer then this, but it's all I could find with my hands-"

He interrupts her rambling. "A blind man made me food, how can I trust you haven't accidentally poisoned it?"

She laughs lightly. "I don't think trust is a personality trait we have in common so you can either eat it or make something yourself."

He smiles. "Well I'm sure it's better than my cooking. I've always had servants make me my meals."

She puts the plate of food in a smaller box, presses a button, and suddenly the plate is moving in circles as a strange buzzing noise fills the silence.

"It's called a microwave," she says after noticing my silence. "I'm guessing you don't have these in Asgard."

"What do they do?"

"They warm up your food when it's cold."

"How do they work?"

She laughs and once again he's surprised at how much he likes it. "I don't know! They just do."

It beeps suddenly and becomes dark. She opens the door and pulls out the steaming hot food.

"We don't need magic on Earth when we have electricity."

He laughs. "Yes, who needs magic when you have microwaves?"

They laugh together as he scarfs down his food. It was strange how casual he suddenly felt around her. One second she's his prisoner, the next they're laughing and talking like good friends. But she wasn't his friend. She was afraid of him. The knife was all the proof he needed.

"Loki," she says after they finish laughing about refrigerators. "Why are you being so nice to me?"

The question quite frankly takes him aback.

"Why am _I _being so nice to _you_? I could ask you the same question."

She frowns. "I'm your prisoner, remember? You needed me to join you in taking over the world. If you think that suddenly I've complied to your requests, you're wrong. This isn't me jumping on your bandwagon and riding to world take-over."

He stares at his empty plate. "I think, maybe, you could ask me that question a million times, and I would never be able to give you an answer. The tesseract shows you many things, for it touches everyone differently, but now that it fades from my vision, I can't tell you how I feel or why."

"Perhaps it was showing you all the wrong things. Maybe that Thanos guy was just manipulating you into doing something you wouldn't have done otherwise."

Anger suddenly bubbles up inside of him. "But it is what I want. I was born to be a king, I was disgraced, and neglected, and cheated of the throne. Thanos did nothing but help me gain my prominence."

She laughs without humor. "Seriously? The only reason Thanos is working with you is because he doesn't want to have to do all the dirty work. As soon as you have successfully taken over the world, he's going to kill you and rule just as he planned to in the beginning. He's just using you! I'm blind and even I can see that."

He jumps up suddenly, grabs her by the shoulders, pulls her up, and slams her against the wall.

"You have no idea what you're talking about!" he yells into her face.

"I don't?!" she screams back. "It's so cliche an idiot could figure out the ending! Haven't you ever seen a movie? Or read a book? The bad guy never wins! And the bad guy's accomplices, never get what they were promised in the end! Why can't you just get away from this and make your life better? Look at yourself! Your life sucks!"

He shoves her against the wall angrily. "I don't have a choice! This is who I am!"

"Everybody has a choice," she says slightly softer as she gasps for breath. "Everybody has a choice, Loki."

He shakes his head as he lets go of her and takes a step back. "No. No, I don't."

"Then why are we doing this?' she exclaims, exasperated.

He doesn't answer as he tries to reign in his anger.

"Laughing and talking like nothing's wrong? I mean, why do you still keep me if I'm never going to commit to your side? I'm useless, I'm a distraction. Are you saving me for him to kill? Are you going to let him torture me? I've already lost everything. My friends, my family!" Her voice cracks as tears begin to stream down her freckled cheeks.

"Will you just kill me now so I don't have to suffer later? Can't you see, Loki? I'm tired of death, I'm tired of killing. I'm worn out, I've suffered enough. Please, please just end it now!"

He stares at her, bewildered. "Why would I kill you? Is it because you think I'm a monster? Do you think that after everything, I'm suddenly going to turn into that monster inside of me and kill you? Is that what you want me to do?"

She gasps for breaths as she tries not to cry.

He takes slow steps towards her, letting his skin change into the icy blue monster hidden inside him. He feels the chill run through his body, the cold patterns begin to dance across his skin.

"If you could see me, you would be even more terrified. Your nightmares of my true nature would come true. You'd take one look at my face and scream in terror."

He suddenly grabs her hand and she gasps, both at the suddenness and at the bitter chill of his touch. He pulls her hand up and places it firmly on his rough cheek. He knows the cold is burning her hand, but he doesn't let her pull away.

"This is who I am," he growls, "I have no choice in this. Yes, I could let this monster kill you. Or I could leave you to Thanos, because I'm sure he would be glad to be rid of you. But I just can't let you go."

Her face twists in confusion.

"I don't know why, but I can't."

And suddenly his hands are on either side of her face, and his lips crushed against hers. He doesn't know what caused him to do this. But as his cold, hard lips smash against hers, he melts. The cold frost giant melts against her soft, molten lips. The fear of being rejected leaves him as soon as her lips react to his.

His lips are so cold he's burning her, but she doesn't stop kissing him. His ice cold tongue slips into her mouth and she jumps, surprised. He begins to pull away but she pulls him closer to her, letting her tongue tangle with his. Her hands move through his silk hair and down his neck. Everywhere she touches, the molten rock travels, melting through his ice skin, changing him back to his preferred form. He imagined if he opened his eyes, he'd see his skin steaming beneath her touch.

After a few moments, she pulls away, gasping for breath, her face still so close to his.

"If that's how you kill people, then... wow, that is one hell of a way," she whispers, her hot breath fanning out across his cheek.

He removes his now normal hands from her face and places them on the wall on either side of her head. He admires her flushed red cheeks, swollen lips, and soft pink eyelids as a small tear trickles down her cheek.

"I'm sorry," he whispers as he begins to pull away. She doesn't stop him.

"You know I haven't been kissed like that since my husband died. I'd forgotten how good it feels," she says, a small smile stretching across her lips.

"You wouldn't have kissed me if you had seen what I looked like," he says softly, not intending for her to hear.

She folds her arms across her chest. "Loki, I don't need my eyes to see someone. I can see who a person is just fine, and I wouldn't kiss somebody who wasn't as beautiful as the man I just kissed a few seconds ago. So there. Stop feeling sorry for yourself."

She turns away from him and begins to clean up the table where they ate without saying another word.

And for the first time in a long time, Loki felt loved.


End file.
